Harry Potter and the Immortal Captain
by 252020
Summary: After the war Harry literally chose to step into alternate universe where words such as muggle & quidditch are obsolete, where wizards are mere fiction, and where he soon gets dragged into yet a another battle after crossing paths with Torchwood.  Jack/H
1. The End of the War

**Disclaimers: **_I don't own any the characters used for this story, nor am I making any profits out of writing this fic. In stead all the credit for these wonderful characters goes to the creators of Harry Potter, Torchwood and Doctor Who!_

**Spoilers and changes: **_HP: All Seven books to I chose to disregard anything H/G related and Hermione died in the final battle (as much as I love her I felt that it was needed for this story).__Torchwood: All seasons (although I still haven't watched all I will use info I find online as well so I thought I better warn you)_

Great chunks were still missing from the marble staircases of Hogwarts, parts of the balustrades were gone, and bloodstains occurred on ever few steps, stains not even magic seemed able to erase. Years had passed since the end of the war, yet the stains had remained. They were faint and barely visible to the naked eye, but if you knew that they were there you could still see their faint outlines. The windows that had been broken during the final battle had been replaced, but even after three years some of the missing pieces of the castle marble stonewalls and staircases remained just that, missing. Harry didn't know why; perhaps the castle's magic prevented the repairs somehow, perhaps the school simply lacked the funding, war was after all a very costly affair. Or maybe they had been left as they were intentionally, as a reminder to the students and the world of what could happen if one did not keep ones eyes, ears and mind open.

The reason for Harry's visit to the school had of course been to see Neville. They had gotten closer after the war, though there was still a few secrets Harry felt the need to keep from the other man, if only for his own protection. For how would Neville feel if he knew that he was indirectly responsible for the state his parents had found themselves in or that he just as easily as Harry could have been the baby Voldemort personally had went to kill all those years ago. No, like Dumbledore Harry knew that there was many things in this world that were best left unsaid.

As he was about to leave he was stopped by a stern voice calling out for him.

"Mr Potter" While her tone at one time would have made him nervous, it now brought a smile to his lips.

"Professor McGonagall" He said as he turned around to face her.

"Where are you going?" She asked disapprovingly.

"Home."

"And this is what stopped you from coming up to greet your old professor?" She asked, looking at him expectantly.

"I apologise, Professor." He smiled.

"Come, have a cup of tea before you leave"

"Of course. Who am I to refuse the Headmistress of Hogwarts?"

No more than minutes after the tea had magically appeared the professor spoke with directness he both wished that Dumbledore had had and was grateful that he had lacked at the same time.

"You are leaving us."

"What makes you say that, professor?" Harry asked, calmly taking a sip of his tea.

"I have seen what you are doing, though no one else seems to."

"And what would that be?"

"You are saying your farewell, I won't try to stop you. But where are you planning to go?"

"Have you had me followed?" He asked casually but she knew it was noting casual about the question at all.

"I don't need to, all I need to do is open the paper." She looked concerned.

"Ah..." He smiled, a smile not unlike that knowing smile the former headmaster used to give her.

"What are you planning?" She asked, though she already knew he wouldn't answer.

"An adventure."

After Harry finished his farewells to his world he literally chose to step into another. Not even when he had walked to his death during the war had he been so nervous, so uncertain, so scared. Then he had known what awaited him; death. When he stepped through the veil in the department of mystery he didn't know where he would end up. He might just die, as the unspeakable believed. But Harry had thought differently.

When researching Horcruxes he had stumbled across an interesting passage about rifts in time and space. The passage wasn't about the rifts themselves but rather on how to keep one open, and how to control it. It was a dark ritual requiring human sacrifices in loads, using their very souls to keep the rift open and guarded. Only those who had seen death caused by magical means could hear the tortured souls as they to tempt them to pass though. After which they will try to tare you apart, forcing you to stay and help them preform their duty, hence even after the ritual was completed it was beyond risky to pass through.

A dark wizard created this particular veil back in the late 1200's as an escape route before he began his war, creating the many legends surrounding the veil before he himself had passed though it to keep people from following him. Harry could only hope as the world on his side of the veil aged so had the one on the other. Strangely enough he wasn't worried about the warning or the spirit guards or even that he may not be able to return. He hadn't even considered whether there would be arch on the other side or not. Instead he felt like he imagined most people felt before going away on their first around the world trip. He was exited and he could barely wait.

Walking through the veil had been painful, worse than any curse he had ever experienced and the only thing that greeted him on the other side was a basement, a plain and empty basement, in the heart of muggle London.

Never would he have thought that just a few years down the line he would be spending his days chasing Aliens and words such as Weevil, Time lord and spaceship would become part of his daily vocabulary.

**TBC..**


	2. Everything Changes I

**Chapter ONE**

After entering his new universe Harry soon learned that words such as muggle, thestrals, and quidditch were obsolete, there was no such thing a magical community, no such things as wizards or witches. He had looked at every place he could think of; he even went to Vratsa in Bulgaria to look Gregorovitch and Krum but there was no trace of them anywhere. Magical people didn't even seem to have a counter part in this universe. Harry certainly didn't, not was there any record of any Hermione Granger ever being born in 1980, though her parents still existed. In this universe they had a muggle son Hermione's age, brilliant just like her and this pattern continued. He had looked into every muggleborn he could think of and none of them existed. None, not even his mother. Though Petunia Evans Dursley was very much alive, as were his would be uncle and cousin. Little had changed in that family, they seemed just as horrid as Harry remembered them. Strangely enough that actually made him happy, it had given him a sense of normalcy when he had followed them to a restaurant and watched them eat dinner.

But even with these dire findings Harry wouldn't give up, after all Sirius had to be somewhere in this world. He had gone though the veil too. Soon his search for magic, for Sirius, had drawn him to Wales, more specifically Cardiff. If there was any place in this world that was magical it had to be Cardiff, too many odd things happened in the city for there not to be; people disappearing, unexplainable weather phenomena etc., not that London was far off with disappearing and reappearing building and 'mass hallucinations'. But while bigger things seemed to be happening in London, the events in Cardiff were far more frequent. So while he hadn't been able to find anyone magical he had no doubt that magic still existed in this world in one form or another and hopefully Sirius was drawn to it as well.

Not long after he had moved to Cardiff Harry encountered his first proof when he saw a man and a woman appear and later disappear in the middle of Roald Dhal Plass. Not that anyone else had as much as raised an eyebrow when it happened, either time. Then again, people hadn't said a word when the Themes was emptied of all its water one night, it was almost as if no one else had noticed or remembered anything. Like the ministry had sent out their oblivatores. The following few days Harry had kept his eyes on the spot and seen a total of five different people appearing and reappearing on the same spot, but he never felt any magical residue, no notice-me-not charms, no cloaking charms, nothing. At one time one of the men seemed to notice him watching him and winked at him before he disappeared, but that was it. It was odd, it was beyond strange actually. He wondered if that was how muggles felt when people disappeared at King's Cross Station or when people disappeared into the Leaky Cauldron. Were there some muggles that saw through the protective charms too, just as he seemed to be able to do in this world?

With this thought running through his head Harry almost tripped over Mary's unmoving body when he entered work. Mary was a woman in her late 30s, she had started working at the pub at the age of 19, it had been meant as a summer job but she had somehow ended up staying on for over a decade now. She had jokingly told Harry this one night as a cautionary tale when he confessed he was considering applying to the university next term.

Falling down on his knees next to her he instinctively moved his hand to feel for a pulse. Relief swept through him as he felt its steady rhythm under his fingers, she was alive. It was first after that that Harry saw the owner coming into the room with the phone to his ear and a moist towel in his hand.

"Harry" He called out at the sight of him. "The ambulance is on its way, would you mind going in with her? This time she is going in whether she wants to or not."

"What is wrong with her?"

"Low blood sugar, she says." It was clear that Ed doubted her diagnosis. "Well, will you go with her? The new spirits should be here soon… I need to sign for it."

Half an hour later Harry found himself standing in a muggle hospital for the first time in over two decades. He didn't know if it was different from the ones in his world, to be honest he didn't much remember aunt Petunia ever taking him, but he knew she must have done it at least once if only to make things appear as normal as possible. Either way he thought it looked pretty much like he expected it to when he arrived.

Sitting the waiting room surrounded by sick and wounded people Harry began to feel a little guilty as a little girl started complaining about the main in her arm. He could make that pain disappear with a quick spell. But one never knew with muggles, while one may thank you for helping, another might kill you or worse. There were reasons for the statue of secrecy that all held strong in any world, this one included. But despite the logic behind it he couldn't quite shake the guilt he felt as he sat there, he could do a lot for these people and he wasn't even a healer. A few quick spells and the broken bones would be mended, a potion here and there and the ills would be cured and he only knew a few healing spells that Hermione had taught him during their time in the tent during the war. Imagine what one healer could do, or just Hermione.

Despite the circumstances surrounding the though, it still bought a small smile on his lips. He missed her; her death had probably been the one that had hit them the hardest. No more than five more minutes left of the war, five minutes, and she dies. At least it had been quick. But Ron had never the same afterwards. He had become little more than a shell, barely distinguishable from a Dementor victim. And after that Harry was alone with his fame, the never-ending praise, and the ever-rising expectations. Ron hadn't even reacted when Harry came to say good-bye, he was the only one he had told his plan to, the only one who could have stopped him, but he hadn't even acknowledged that he was in the room. Funny, despite all the magic that seemed able to cure almost any illness or injury, wizards could do nothing more for loss and a broken heart than muggles could.

Deciding enough was enough Harry pushed himself of the seat and went to take a breath of fresh air. It would probably be a while before he heard anything, and they wouldn't be able tell him much more anyway; he already knew she was awake but he wasn't family, or even a close friend. He didn't really have any of those anymore; quite frankly Mary was the closest thing he had to either. Her and a few one-night-stands that he still was in semi-contact with. It was actually quite sad, almost a year in this world and that was all he had.

Stepping into the elevator he pressed the top button and hoped he could find a way up the roof from there. Strangely enough it stopped and after briefly considering pressing the emergency button he sighed and withdrew his wand. Seconds later he was on the top floor. It was completely empty. All doors were closed, not a person in sight. It seemed like it had been sealed off for some reason. Or so he thought before he heard voices, or rather a voice, talking. Following the sound Harry found a dark haired policewoman, facing what could only be called a creature. She didn't even seem to notice how it was watching her, it wasn't listening, it wasn't going to answer any questions; it was going to attack.

The foolish woman was even advancing on it. He considered yelling at her to run but considering her current actions he didn't think she would listen and he didn't know how fast this creature was, or even what kind it was. So he did the only thing he could think of and with a wave of his wand she was sent flying backwards, hitting her head on the wall and loosing consciousness. Or that what it seemed like, Harry didn't have time to check before the creature turned to him. Apparently it had decided Harry was the bigger threat at the moment.

Again Harry waved his wand, trying to stupefy it, nothing. Not for the first time since he left the auror academy did he wish had taken that extra class on magical creatures that they had offered because this one seemed rather resilient. Putting his wand away he decided to make use of his physical training. After loosing his wand a few months when he was 17 Harry had, against his teachers' advice, taken to study muggle defence during his time at the academy, followed by a year of intensive training in Japan afterwards before he took active auror duty. If only those teachers could see him now as he with a few moves had the creature incapacitated on the floor after magic had failed him. Wizards never learned.

The pleased thought had barely registered before he came face to face with four of the people he on a few occasions seen vanish on Roald Dhal Plass. The man who had winked at him once was dressed exactly as he had been then, only he had a gun in his hand aimed at Harry, while the others flanked him. He was obviously the leader.

The man wasn't much taller than Harry, perhaps a few inches, but his presence gave the impression of someone much taller. He had an athletic built, and the way he moved spoke of years in the service. His hair was dark brown and shorter than Harry's unruly black hair. His blue eyes were as intense, if not as bright in colour, as Harry's own green ones. They also shared the same hunted look of someone who had seen and experienced too much loss and pain.

"Who are you?" He demanded to know, loading the gun for emphasis. For a second Harry was torn. These people were probably the best bet he had on finding out what was going on, but the way they were currently looking at him didn't exactly seem promising.

"Aiming a deadly weapon at someone isn't the best way to get someone to engage in a friendly chat."

"Never failed me before." The man replied, making no move to lower the gun.

"I just tend to disappear or fight." Harry informed him, considering whether or not he should draw his wand. "This time I think I will take option one." And with that Harry muttered a quiet invisibility charm, hoping they wouldn't be able to see through it. His cloak would be better but that was currently in his flat, and any stronger charm would require the aid of his wand. Either way it seemed to do the trick judging by their confused expression.

"He could still be here." The leader told them, his eyes carefully scanning their surroundings. Harry didn't move, afraid to make even the smallest noise. "That wasn't a teleport. Tosh, check the officer. Owen, Suzie, the weevil."

"She is alive." Tosh, a Japanese looking woman, informed them. The man nodded and turned his face to the two others and the weevil.

"Alive." The woman, Suzie, said, she sounded surprised. "And awake."

"Why isn't it resisting?" The man asked, though he only seemed to offer them a small portion of his attention. He was still looking for any trace of Harry.

"Haven't got a clue." Owen confessed, looking as surprised as the woman had been. A second later the creature was tossing and turning again, forcing the others into action and their leader to abandon his search for Harry while Harry took the moment to slip out unnoticed.

**TBC..**

Okay people, almost 20 alerts, 6 favourite lists but not a single review? That's just rude! I want reviews! Now, go and write one! =P


	3. Everything Changes II

**Chapter TWO**

It wasn't until he arrived for his evening shift at the pub that he remembered that he had left the hospital without a word to Mary or anyone else. After his escape Harry mostly remained lost in his own mind, trying to identify the creature just as he had with the other strange creatures he had run into in this world. Few which seemed to be affected by magic in the least. Then on top of all of them there were the strange Roald Dhal people, he was under no illusion that they wouldn't try to find him. But he wasn't sure how high of a priority it was, they seemed to have other problems to deal with.

"So did the doctor tell you anything?" Had been the first greeting he gotten when he entered the pub that night. "She called and said it was low blood sugar again but I still don't believe it."

"They just informed me that she was awake and told me they would do a few more tests. After that I got a call from my landlord threatening to throw me out if I didn't get back immediately and pay my rent, forth month in a row I'm late." Harry lied, trying to change the subject as well as come up with a believable excuse. Ed didn't seem convince judging from the narrowing of his eyes but he let it slide.

"I'm just worried about her. It was the third time in two months, you know."

"I didn't know." Harry confessed, he hadn't had a clue that there was anything wrong with the older woman. She was among the happiest people he knew, though like everyone else she looked tired every now and then. "She always blames it on low blood sugar?"

"Yeah, I knew her father you know. Promised I'd look after her when he died. That's why I gave her a job to begin with. That was 17 years ago and now she won't tell me what's wrong." He shook his head again. "Well, nothing we can do, better get back to work."

As the evening wore on Harry began to laugh and flirt with the customers, just like he always did. Men or women, it didn't really matter. In fact he was known for it, and more often than not old Ed and Mary could be seen shaking their heads, smile and look away when he did so. Jake, a part-timer, was occasionally on the receiving end of the flirtation but nothing ever happened. Jake had a girlfriend at the university who probably wouldn't approve, though she had offered Harry to join them one night after a few too many drinks causing Jake to stutter in shock. Harry had laughed it off and kissed Jake by the ear while seductively whispering that he wouldn't mind. He wasn't sure if he meant it or not.

This night was no different, at least not until closing when he caught sight of the leader of the Roald Dahl people watching him from one of the tables. This time he neither winked nor raised a gun, instead he just looked at him. Harry didn't know how he had missed him. He looked away for a second and when he looked back he was gone. Uncomfortable he sought Ed out, asking how long the man had been there. The question seemed to surprise him.

"Around ten or eleven I think. Not too long. Do you know him?"

"Maybe." Harry answered distantly, Ed seemed to miss interoperate the answer and smiled a little.

"Why don't you head on out, I will finish up, just a few people left." Harry looked around again and noticed that he was right, then again Mondays were always a relatively slow night. After a second of hesitation he nodded.

He wasn't surprised when he found the man leaning against the wall of the building next door. Harry fought the urge to run when he walked up to him with a small smile on his lips. He seemed far friendlier this time around.

"Harry James Potter, age 23. Works for Edward Falk since five months back. Lives in a surprisingly high-rise neighbourhood for someone on his salary. Applied for his first passport in London last year and went to Bulgaria. Funny thing is, before that day he didn't really exist and the woman who arranged said passport doesn't even remember doing it." It was an odd form of greeting, if it could be called one, but somehow it suited the man, it seemed natural.

"And you are?" Harry asked using the same pleasant tone the man had used as he described the creation of his 'alias'.

"Captain Jack Harkness, Torchwood."

"Torchwood?" Harry echoed, faintly remember hearing the name a few times in connection to the Canary Warf incident a month or two after he arrived in this universe. It had been his first substantial proof that magic existed; he had been close to giving up when he returned from Bulgaria. "Never mind, what do you want with me?"

"I want to know what you did to the Weevil, how you found it, and how you know what it was. Even after we sedated it we couldn't find anything indication as to what you did to it."

"I don't know what it was, and a friend of mine is sick, she needed to go to the hospital. As for what I did; I used normal pressure points to immobilise it when I fought it. It had a partly humanoid form, thought it was worth a shot. "

"But you have seen aliens before." Jack summarised. Harry laughed.

"Aliens? That's what you are going with?"

"You think its human?"

"Magical, like you. I have seen you people before tonight, disappearing on the Roald Dahl Plass. One second you are there, the next you are gone. Apparation, maybe a Fidelius charm, would be my guess. But if it is apparation, you really should do it somewhere more secluded." Jack smiled at him.

"There is no such thing as magic." He told him, the smile was similar to the sort of smile that one would give a too old child when telling him Santa Claus wasn't real. Amused but sympathetic.

"Then how do you explain what you can do? What that thing was?"

"A perception filter, and alien." He seemed amused. "I will even show you."

"Why would you do that?"

"I want you to work with us." He told him. "I want to hire you."

Harry blinked in surprise; that was a new one. "Why?"

"We were four people, four specially armed people. But you took down the Weevil faster than all of us together."

"What do I get?" the question slipped out before he even knew the thought had crossed his mind. Jack smiled.

"A better salary, answers, and a reason."

"I had enough reasons. But there is someone I want to find, someone I am looking for."

"Done. We will find him." He agreed quickly. Harry gave him a suspicious look.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Who are you? Really."

"Torchwood, we work outside the government, beyond the police. Tracking down alien life on Earth, scavenge their technology and adapt it for human use, arming the human race against the future."

"Sounds grand." Harry commented dryly before he conceded. "Show the way."

The familiar drive to Roald Dahl Plass was silent; to be honest Harry had barely looked at Jack since he had sat down in the car, much less spoken. Instead his eyes were aimed firmly out the window and it wasn't until it stopped about a block from the plass that either spoke.

When they reached the apparation spot Harry saw a small smirk making its way up Jack's lips as if he was waiting for something amusing and the next thing he knew they were moving downwards and the plass disappeared above ground.

"A lift." Harry muttered surprised.

"We usually call it the scenic route." Jack informed him with a grin.

"A lift." Harry repeated with clear disappointment, something that almost seemed to offend the captain personally.

"Told you, no magic. All science." He reminded him and Harry resisted the urge to sigh. The next part of their tour was slightly more impressive as they entered the main hub. It wasn't the chamber of secret but it had a mysterious air about it any way. And in it the remaining four members of the group sat, two in front of computers, one holding a stack of papers and one fiddling with a metal glove. They were all doing their own thing until Jack cleared his throat, gaining all their attention.

"You found him then." Owen, Harry remembered, said as he looked Harry over. "Convinced him to come too."

"Was there ever any doubt?" Jack asked with a grin that could only be described as cocky. Then he looked back at Harry. "This is Torchwood. Owen Harper." He gestured to a man who quickly corrected him. "Doctor Owen Harper, thank you." Jack seemed half amused, half annoyed by the interruption if his expression was anything to go by. "Toshiko Sato, computer genius." He continued gesturing towards the Japanese woman he had referred to as Tosh at the hospital. "Suzie Costello, she is second in command." He informed him as he pointed at the woman with the metal glove, the same woman who had been first to confirm that the Weevil was still alive. Then finally he gestured to the only unidentified man in the room. "And this is Ianto Jones. He cleans up after us and gets us everywhere on time."

"I try my best." The man replied. Unlike the rest of the team Ianto was dressed formally in a suite and he acted much like Harry imagined someone's gentleman's gentleman would. It brought a small smile to his lips.

As if needing to bring the attention back to himself Jack added. "And he looks good in a suite."

"Careful! That's harassment, sir." Ianto warned but the smile on the man's lips took any sting out of the statement; in fact he seemed rather pleased by the comment.

"Team, this is Harry Potter, our new team mate."

"You accepted then?" Suzie asked with a pleasant tone as she glanced over, waiting for his reply. "Thought you might be UNIT or something."

"Bartender." Harry said simply, not really caring what UNIT was.

"Never seen a bartender do what you did." Owen told him but Harry didn't say anything and Owen sighed a little disappointed, then turned back to the computer screen on his desk while Jack gestured for Harry to come with him.

Following his lead they soon entered an area that could only be described as a prison, at best a holding area. Behind one of the glass walls was the creature Harry had faced earlier, the weevil. Without the threat it had represented earlier hanging over his head Harry took the time to really look at it. It looked right back. It didn't look threatening now, it looked sad, restrained.

"It's a Weevil, or at least we call them that. We don't know their real names. They aren't too good at communicating. But we have a couple of hundreds of them living in the sewers feeding of the… well it's the sewers, you can guess. But every once in a while one of them goes rouge, comes to the surface, attacks. Actually it has been happening more and more recently and we have no idea why. But it's alien, nothing magical." He finished, but Harry wasn't listening. Seeing the creature behind the glass Harry was reminded of the snake he had set free in the zoo all those years ago. "It was born on a different world and its real." That sentence however made Harry tense, if this is what they did to creatures from different planets what would they do to one from a different universe?

"All you are giving me is your word, how do you know it's alien?" Harry asked, his eyes never leaving the creature.

"Why do you insist it isn't?"

"I don't, I don't even care what they are. But for you to help me find the person I am looking for you need to believe in magic." Harry told him with a hint of exasperation in his tone.

"Why?"

"He is a wizard." Harry could almost here the other man choke back a laughter and sighed. "If I give you proof that magic exists, what would you do?"

"I would prove the opposite."

"Then we won't be able to work together. If I admit to the possibility of alien life forms I need you to admit the possibility of magical ones and your word that you won't tell a soul about magic or anything related to it."

"If you think you can convince me…" Jack offered, still sounding amused and Harry sighed mentally, he really didn't want to use his wand unless absolutely necessary so the options on what kind of spell he could do were limited. Deciding on a summoning charm he summoned a stool from the other side of the room. When it came flying Jack seemed surprised but he wasn't willing to give in.

"Could be some kind of concentrated magnetic device."

With another spell Jack's shirt changed colour. He didn't look impressed at all.

"Colour manipulator. Advanced tech and I don't know how you got it, but it's not impossible."

"What would I need to do? Pull a rabbit out of a hat? Change you into a dove? How do you think I turned invisible earlier? Magic." He never imagined it to be this hard. He sighed. "Fine, you call it science, I call it magic. You don't need to believe me. Now, regarding Sirius…. I have a photo, a name, and you will just have to take my word for what he can do and not approach him without me there if you find him or you won't find him again."

**TBC…**

_Four new favourite lists, another five alert lists, and __**SEVEN**__ reviews, a clear improvement! Reviewers (Dayaluna, Lily Halloween, Sorrow7e, Teeny-Turtle, Exolibris, Angel-sama, Charlotte1313), you are wonderful, __**thank you**__! And the rest of you lot who are reading my fic I maintain what I said in my last posting, you are just rude! __**Start reviewing!**_


	4. Everything Changes III

_Thank you! I was so happy when I saw this story is on over 60 alerts and considering how many more reviews you are all sending now I figured it wouldn't hurt to show my appreciation by posting this chapter a little early and make it an extra long one! __**ENJOY**_

**Chapter THREE**

Returning to the Roald Dahl Plass the next morning Harry wasn't surprised to find Jack appearing in thin air in front of him as he reached the entrance.

"Thought you might need a lift, haven't gotten you one of there yet." He explained, showing a thick wristlet full of buttons on his arm. "We'll get you a smaller one in a few days, you don't need all these buttons." Harry just nodded and allowed himself to step onto the lift next to Jack.

Harry didn't hesitate when he entered the main hub, nor did he hesitate to follow Jack into his office or when Jack closed the door after them.

"I'm assuming you have some more questions now that you have had time to digest it all?"

"I heard about Torchwood in London, when I got back from Bulgaria after the cybermen incident. I thought they were magical, I have seen suits of arms start moving and act on their own before. But they weren't, were they?"

"No, nor was the great big spaceship hovering over London on Christmas Day or..." He cut himself off though he seemed more than ready to go on. "I just can't understand you people, why is it so hard to accept that Aliens are real? You see proof everywhere, but you all choose to just ignore it. Well, at least you accept that things aren't just in your imagination, even though you thought it was magic."

"You aren't much better though, are you?" Harry said, only slightly offended. "Yesterday I showed you magic and you refuse to believe it, instead you chose to find a logical explanation that fits your belief system, that's what humans do." Harry countered. "Anyway, that wasn't the point. What I want to know is how big Torchwood really is. I heard of Torchwood when I lived in London, but your team is hardly big enough to cover both London and Cardiff."

"True, we are just one branch; Torchwood Three. Torchwood One was located in London; it was destroyed in the battle of Canary Warf. Torchwood Two is an office in Glasgow, a very strange man. And Torchwood Four has kind of gone missing, but we will find it one day." He said rather flippantly.

"And why did you open a branch in Cardiff of all places?"

"What drew you here?" Jack countered. Harry didn't hesitate.

"There seemed to be more strange things that happen here than anywhere else."

"Exactly," Jack told him "there is a rift in space and time running right through the city. The weevils didn't come on a spaceship; they kind of just slipped though. All sorts of things get washed up here, creatures, time shifts, space junk…"

"And you what? Capture and collect?"

"Only if they are a danger, but yes. We collect all kind of things and adapt it. I told you, we arm the human race for the future."

"Okay. And that PC at the hospital. She was looking for you, following you. What are you going to do with her? You are clearly work in secret."

"After the blow you caused to her head when you threw her against the wall I doubt she remembers much, and after two blows on the same day she should be more than ready to forget all about us and what she saw."

"What she saw?" Harry echoed.

"She saw us testing the glove."

"The glove." Harry allowed his confusion to show clearly on his face.

"It can bring people back from the dead for a few minutes, two is our record."

"Necromancy." Harry said in disbelief. "How?"

"It's not necromancy." Jack disagreed. "When a person dies a violent death the break between the consciousness or soul and the body is too abrupt, it leaves a… the best way I can explain it a path between the two even after death. By using the glove we can call the consciousness back into the body."

"You call that science?" Harry snapped. "You have no idea what it will do to you if you keep it up. That's what you use the 'alien' artefacts for? Playing god?"

"By understanding their technology we will be able to understand them better."

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Harry told him before stepping out from the office.

15 minutes later Harry was sitting by an empty desk with a tall stack of papers to his right, Jack had referred it as the Torchwood handbook. Harry could think of a long line of more suitable words for it, but did his best to stay concentrated on his reading material. However when Suzie came in and started working on the glove Harry couldn't help but go up to her and get a closer look. Jack's story about the glove had sounded far too familiar, and Suzie's reaction when he came closer had been a dead give away. She had instinctively put the glove outside his reach.

"Did Jack tell you what it can do?" She asked him, sounding perfectly amiable.

"More or less."

"It's amazing, isn't it?" She asked, stroking the glove. "Imagine what we will be able to do when we learn to use it properly."

"How does it work exactly? Can anybody use it?"

"No, just me." She said. The softness of her eyes and tone as she said this revealed this fact was very precious to her, it made her feel special. She must have noticed it too because she quickly added. "The glove relies on some sort of empathy, maybe compassion… that's what Jack thinks anyway." Harry nodded in agreement although he doubted compassion had anything to do with it. Magic such as this drew on much darker emotions such as wants and desires.

"What does it feel like, bringing someone back from the dead?" He asked, trying to keep a mildly curious tone.

"Wonderful." She smiled. "Like giving someone a second chance, I only wish it would last longer than two minutes. I can feel their desire to live, their pain as they are sucked back into the darkness." She looked at him almost desperately then, as if she needed someone to understand. "I just wish I could do more."

"Death is painful." Harry offered. "But not for the dead, for the living."

"No!" She denied. "No, for them too. They don't want to die, they want to live, there are so many things they want to experience. I feel it."

"When I was 17 I was going to be executed." Harry told her, he didn't know why. "At first I was hurt they were going to sacrifice me, then I accepted it. I wasn't even really afraid when I walked up to my executioner, not really. I welcomed it in a way."

"But you are still here." She said. "You were saved."

"I was given a choice." Harry admitted. "Death would have been the simpler one, but if I died too many people would have suffered. I didn't live on for my own sake, but for theirs. Death isn't a something to fear. It's not a bad thing."

"You're wrong." Again her desperation was shining through.

"Maybe, but I don't think so." Harry told her sadly. He was about to continue but Jack interrupted him as he came rushing down the stairs.

"There has been another murder victim. Bring the glove." Harry looked troubled but Suzie just smiled at him.

"You will see, I'm right." She told him, without a hint of menace or ill intent in her eyes. She genuinely seemed to believe that the power of the glove was a good one, that it was meant to do good.

It was with a troubled mind Harry followed them to one of city morgues, as he watched them prepare. It took no more than seconds for everyone to clear out and no more than one word from Jack's lips. Then they began.

Harry watched the anticipation on Suzie's face before he turned away, he wouldn't watch this. As the glove 'activated' and the corpse began to talk Harry could feel the surge of magic, it was almost as if it was drawing on life around it. He couldn't stay, this was wrong. Every fibre of his being told him so.

When they returned to the hub Harry quickly slipped away from the rest, he didn't notice Jack watching him. He was too preoccupied. After a while he found himself sitting on the floor opposite the weevil. Just like the day before it was calm, merely watching him watching it. It was very different from the creature he had fought. A few minutes later Suzie came into the holding area, her eyes firmly on Harry's sitting form.

"Do you understand now?" She asked. "Why I do what I do?"

"Life and death are not things to play with." Harry said firmly. "That thing is dark, it won't bring anything good. That I promise." And with that he walked away.

At 4.30 pm sharp Harry rose from his desk and gathered his belongings and reached for his jacket.

"Oy!" Jack called out, jogging down the stairs. "Harry, where are you going?"

"The pub." He said confused. "My shift starts in 30 minutes."

"I don't think we allow a second job, do we Jack?" Owen asked, seeming to find current scenario far too amusing.

"Nope, 'fraid not."

"Good thing I haven't signed anything then." Harry told them calmly as he pulled the jacket on. "Now, I have things to do."

"Fine." Jack agreed, sounding completely unconcerned. "I guess we can make an exception, but I want you back here by one tonight. You aren't done for the day."

When entering the pub he was both pleased and worried to see Mary behind the bar, pouring up a pint for one of the regulars. She looked tired and she hadn't put in her usual care into her looks when she got ready for work, that was much clear. Concerned Harry put a hand on her shoulder causing her to jump in surprise.

"Harry! Don't do that." She scolded with a smile on her lips.

"How are you feeling?"

"Oh, I am fine." She assured. "Just low blood sugar, Ed is always worrying for nothing." She added but her eyes wouldn't meet his, instead she seemed to focus on the narrow space between his eyes. She was lying, but that was her business.

"I'm glad to hear it. You need to take better care of yourself." He told her, before glancing around the bar. "Where is Ed? I need to talk with him."

Ed was in the back, sitting by his desk with the phone pressed against his ear. But he wasn't talking and judging from his expression he wasn't really listening to anyone else talk either. Harry knocked on the wooden doorframe to get his attention. Ed looked up.

"Harry!" He greeted before his went on alert only to roll up as he sighed. "I hate waiting in phone queues… What can I do for you?"

"Jack, the man you saw yesterday, he offered me a job."

"From the looks he was giving you last night I didn't think that's what he was after." Ed commented surprised, but it seemed to be said mainly to earn him some extra time before he gave his real reply. "I can't offer you a better pay…"

"It's not that. I have some other skills he wants to make use of and in return he is going to help me find someone I'm looking for."

"Well, you did warn me you might just take off one day when you started." He smiled, but it was troubled and Harry felt guilty.

"I will help train someone first, two weeks right?" He said with a hopeful smile that made Ed laugh a little.

"Well, we have enough applications. Let's hope there is someone good in there."

Harry hadn't expected the loss he felt as he walked away from the pub later that night, he hadn't even noticed how attached he had become to the place. Ed had been far too understanding, and Mary had just wished him luck and promised she would help him train his replacement. It was as if they both had expected him to leave sometime soon anyway which surprised him since the thought hadn't really crossed his mind. Before he had met the Torchwood team he had been set on applying to uni and at least work part-time at the pub. He had even started looking at courses.

When he reached the plass he was 20 minutes early. Closing up had gone quicker than usual and like the night before Harry had ended up leaving early. Looking around the plass he had to admit it was beautiful, even at night. It was something oddly peaceful about the place so instead of going looking for the other entrance by the harbour tourist centre he sat down on one of the benches not far from the lift and waited. What he hadn't expected was Suzie coming out from the shadows, moving towards him. He stood up to greet her more out of habit than anything else, she was his superior and that was how it worked at the auror office. He expected her to greet him, as she had done on a handful occasions throughout the day, but she didn't. Instead she just started talking.

"Why did you have to do it, Harry? Why?" She asked. "I thought you would understand."

"Suzie?" Harry said cautiously, she was a second away from snapping; she had been using the glove to long, she was unstable. "What's the matter?"

"What am I going to do? I can't let him lock it way. I can't. This is the only way. I saw the way he looks at it now, how he looks at you."

"What is the only way?" He asked, sounding as friendly and understanding as he possibly could. She didn't reply immediately but he wasn't surprised when she pulled a gun on him.

"This is. I don't want to. I really don't." She confessed, and she actually seemed genuine. "But you are making him doubt it and I can't have that. I need to figure out how it works, I need practise. It's more important than a few lives, it can save so many more. But when I kill you I'll have to run. It won't be like the other times. There are cameras all over this place. You got back too early… I don't want to leave. I love this job."

"Suzie." Harry said softly. "Listen to me, you don't want to do this. This is the glove talking. I can help you. You don't need to run, you belong here at Torchwood. This isn't your fault. You weren't thinking when you killed all those people."

"You don't understand. I thought you might." She said, sounding a little clearer than she had before. "What I did, it was the only way. I needed the bodies. That's how it works. Violent deaths. It was all so easy; to bring them back all I had to do was position myself behind their heads so they never see me twice. I had to! The more I use the glove the more I can control it! If I only get enough practise… think about what I could do. It could resurrect!"

"But they won't be the same." Harry told her. "They never are, once the soul leaves the body… it would move, talk, react, even remember. But it won't be the same."

"You have talk as if you've seen it." She said, her eyes widening. She looked completely mad. "You recognised the glove when you came up to me today. Have you seen it? Do you know what it can do?"

"I have read about it." Harry told her. "A long time ago. There are one way to bring someone back right, and that glove isn't it. And even with the right way there are millions of ways it can go wrong. I don't know who you are trying to save. But you can't, don't fear death."

"No!" She shook her head violently. "No, I feel them." She denied. "I can help them. Resurrection on-demand for the whole world _—_ isn't that good? Isn't it though? Well, that's what I've been working for, all day and all night. The rest of them go swirling about while I'm working! You've got to get inside this stuff. You surrender yourself to it. I did with the knife and the glove. And that's why the perception filter isn't going to work on me." She finished and before Harry could move she shot through the filter and with a thud Jack fell to the ground, a bullet hole right between the eyes. Considering her shaking hands and hysterics she was a better shot than Harry had given her credit for.

"Why?" Harry asked, looking sadly at the corpse. It wasn't the first he had seen and it certainly wasn't going to be the last.

"He would have stopped me, but I can't be stopped. This is too important. I'm sorry, Harry. I think we could have been friends." And with that she raised her gun again. This was going to hurt. The thought had barely registered before he saw Jack rise to his feet, the bullet hole healing in front of his very eyes, ordering Suzie to hand him the gun. She looked so confused, so lost, that Harry couldn't help but pity her. Then without a warning she pressed the gun against her shin and shot. Harry closed his eyes a second before he looked back at Jack. He stared at Harry for a second, then he turned to look at Suzie's lifeless form.

An hour later Harry and Jack were back on the plass, apart from the two of them it was completely empty. The team had been called back to deal with Suzie and hand in any alien artefacts they had brought with them home with or without permission. Those, along with the glove, had been locked away and now it was only the two of them left.

"You knew." Jack suddenly stated after a moment of silence. "You knew what the glove was doing to her."

"Yes." Harry said calmly. Silence followed until Harry spoke again. "And you can't die."

"No." Jack agreed. "Something happened to me a while back. Long story and far away, but I was killed and then I was brought back to life and ever since then I can't die."

"You haven't told Tosh, Ianto, or Owen. Suzie didn't know either."

"No. It tends to freak people out. Though not you apparently."

"Yeah… Well, I can't die either." Harry confessed and Jack's head snapped to look at him. Not that Harry returned the favour. "But it seems to work different with you. I can't actually die; I stay awake the whole time. You didn't."

"How?" Jack asked.

"You don't believe in magic, so you wouldn't believe me. But death can't take its own master."

**TBC…**

_Again, thank you for all the reviews, and please keep on sending me feedback!_


	5. Day One I

_A/N: The chapter titles usually refer to which Torchwood episode they are based on that's why this title (Day One I) is day one and not first case or something like that._

**Chapter FOUR**

It had only been a week since Harry met the Torchwood team at the hospital, though it felt as a distant memory as he and Jack stood there, staring up at the small meteorite crashing towards earth. Surrounding them was hundreds of people who had made their way out to see at the phenomenon. Like Harry they all watched in awed silence. He couldn't take his eyes of it, Jack on the other hand didn't look impressed in the least, instead he looked almost smug.

"You call that magic too?"

"No, it's what I would call a meteorite."

"Try spaceship." Jack offered and Harry narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he turned to look at him.

"Seriously?"

"Could be." He shrugged, looking far too amused. "Though most likely space debris. We need to gather the team."

"I'm working." Harry reminded him, gesturing towards the pub. "I can't just leave. I will join you at the hub after I get off."

"This is exactly why I don't allow second jobs."

"Oh, shut up. It's only for one more week." Harry told him. "Tina is doing really well."

"Then come with me." Jack said, over pronouncing each word as he spoke as if talking to a child.

"One more week, then I'm all yours."

"Promises, promises." Jack said, winking at Harry. "You better be useful later and make up for lost time." With that he was off, running down the street as Harry turned around and made his way back into the pub.

After work Harry practically threw himself into the first available taxi to reach the hub as quickly as possible. Upon entering he was greeted by what sounded like the final round of the blaming game as Tosh, Jack and Owen all stood arguing around a large metal box on the autopsy table.

While it was true that Harry hadn't been down to the hub more than twice since Suzie had died, once to get an USB-stick with his 'homework' and once to talk with Jack, if the aggravation level in the room was anything to go by something had gone terribly wrong.

"What's going on?" Harry asked, drawing their combined attention to himself for the first time in a week.

"Looks like the princess has decided to show her face after all." Owen said snidely as he saw him.

"We have an alien on the loose, and now we have to catch it." Jack answered his question, before trying to bring the discussion on the right track. "On the plus side we've got good evidence, relatively undamaged."

"On the down side there is an alien on the loose, we don't know where it is, why it's here or what it's gonna do." Owen continued, throwing a snide look at Harry.

"Ignore him." Tosh told him. "He is just angry because his tools malfunctioned," Harry raised an eyebrow at the usually timid Japanese woman, catching the small smirk on Jack's face as she spoke. Seemed like Harry wasn't the only one with his mind in the gutter at the moment. "Because of him we now have an alien, possibly hostile, on the loose."

"Get over it, accidents happen. We need to find and recover whatever came out of there." Jack said, gesturing to the box's content. It looked like a normal rock in Harry's opinion and he had to bite his tongue to stop himself from asking any more questions. Now really didn't seem like the best time. Instead his attention was drawn to Ianto as he cleared his throat from his spot a catwalk above them.

"This might help, Nightclub death had been phoned in to the 999. Circumstances sound a little unusual." Judging from his expression it was more than 'a little' unusual and within seconds Jack was taking the folder from him as he appeared by his side. "Might be connected."

7.8 minutes later the team was driving up outside a club Harry had visited a few months back with Jake and his girlfriend. It had been a pretty good one, but maybe he should revise his opinion now considering what had just happened in there. Shaking his head he shook any such thought out of his mind following the rest of the team as they all but ran inside. However the sight of the two police officers guarding the door made him falter. One of them was none other than the woman he had thrown against the wall and given a mild concussion the previous week. But her eyes weren't on him, they were on Jack's retreating form, making Harry relax slightly and completely loose any concern he may have felt when he didn't see even a shimmer of recognition in her eyes as he walked passed her.

When he entered the bathroom he found the entire team staring at a small pile of dust on the floor that apparently used to be a human. Last time he had been in this bathroom he had a gorgeous blonde up against the wall. Tom his name had been, if he remembered it right. However as the bouncer's began to tell the team about the security camera in the bathroom Harry was brought back from his trip down memory late, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

Not long after Harry noticed how the bouncer kept glancing his way as he began to tell them what he seen, from how a couple had began to shag on the counter to how the man had literally exploded into dust as he came. And just like Harry had noticed the man's eyes on him, he was sure the rest of the team had as well.

"We need to see that CCTV."

Minutes later they were all crammed into a small office, surrounding an old television as the bouncer pressed the play button. Seconds later as they all watched the video the man had described earlier, all four of them only stared in surprise as the man exploded into dust. He supposed seeing and hearing it was quite different.

"Wow." "Oh my God.. He just.." "Came and went" Harry had to snort back a laugh at Jack's comment, though agreed with all three responses. Owen on the other hand had no problem voicing the first thought that had come to his mind, after laughing at Jack's comment.

"Now, that's how I'd like to go." Tosh said something afterwards but Harry wasn't listening anymore. Instead he turned to the bouncer as he began to go into denial.

"Can you tell us anything about the girl?" He asked. "Name? Does she come here often? Did they come together?"

"How am I supposed to know?" He snapped defensively. "We get hundreds of people every weekend. We don't keep tabs."

"You don't seem to have any trouble remembering me." Harry offered. "And I have only been here once, months ago."

"Yeah, well it wasn't the first time I saw the bloke you were with. Usually comes in with girls though. It's not every day you get to see him let someone shag him from behind. Almost made me want to try it myself, just watching you." Harry could hear Owen whistle at the comment and four years ago the comment would have made him turn bright red. Now he didn't really care, instead he had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. He supposed having a fair share of sex photos of you circulating in the wizarding press changes you after a while.

"Can you tell us anything about the girl, anything?" Harry asked. "It could be important. She might have infected you with something." He added, having noticed that self-preservation always seemed to do the trick with difficult suspects and witnesses in the past.

"No, nothing like that." He shook his head in denial, suddenly far more cooperative. "She left and then came back a few minutes later. When she left she looked like she was heading home to cry her eyes out, Lee asked if he could get a taxi. A while later she came back a completely different person asking for a readmission. When I wouldn't give her one, policy you know, she kissed me and I let her in. That's all I know. Promise."

"We are going to need to swab your mouth and face." Owen informed the man. "It won't take long."

"What? Why?" The bouncer asked, the defences back up again. "Nothing is wrong with me. After I saw the video I went and put my head under the water tap. I washed it all of. I don't have anything to worry about, right?"

"It's just a precaution." Tosh promised him. "As soon as we are done you can go home and rest."

After leaving the small office behind, Owen went with bouncer and Jack ordered Harry, Tosh and Ianto to take one of the bodies they keep on hand and disfigure the face and dump it, making it look like a suicide. In other words, to arrange the second death of Matt Stevens, involving no murder, alien or human dust.

While Harry found the thought more than a little disturbing it wasn't a new concept. After joining the aurors there were few secrets kept from Harry. Being who he was was the same as being born with top-level clearance, at least it had seemed that way, and every now and then they needed bodies to cover up most gruesome crimes in the muggle world. He had had the bad luck to ending up on a case like that just a few months after he joined. It hadn't been pleasant, and involved far more blood, intestines and disfigurement than this one…

By the time Harry and Ianto finished with physical work of staging the suicide they returned to the hub to find the alien locked up in the holding area. She looked like a completely ordinary girl. She looked so young, no older than a teenager.

"That's what the alien looks like?" Harry had a hard time believing it, even vampires and werewolves had their tells, but this girl… nothing.

"It's what it looks like now." Jack told him, for once seeming very serious. "The alien is actually inside of her, it looks like pink gas..."

"So, she is possessed? It possessed her." Harry summarised

"We usually say it's taken on a host body." Jack corrected.

"How do we get it out?" He asked, ignoring his comment, as he looked at the girl on the television screen.

"So far we only know it feeds on orgasmic energy, apparently human is a favourite."

"What about getting it out of the girl?" Harry asked again.

"We are taking readings as we speak. We will know more soon."

"I want to talk with her." Harry said, looking back at her.

"No one is stopping you, go on down." Jack offered. "We are just about to order food, any preferences?" Harry ignored him.

The girl immediately turned to the door when she heard him enter. After a few seconds she spoke.

"You weren't there when they came and got me." She was scared. "Why are you here?"

"I'm Harry. And you?"

"Carys."

"How old are you, Carys?"

"I'm-. Please let me out, I never wanted to hurt anybody." She pleaded. "Please."

"I know you didn't have a choice. I had a friend who got possessed once. She almost got my best friend and a few others killed. It wasn't her fault either. But before we can let you go we need to get that thing out of you. I need you to tell me anything you can, everything you know is important."

"I don't know anything." She said, her desperation shining through. "But it hurts! I'm loosing. Please help me. It hurts so much."

"When are you in the least pain. Is there anything we can do to help you?"

"Sex, it's the only thing. It makes it stop. Each time it hurts less, the feeling gets weaker. Please, help me, Harry."

"I will." Harry promised just before he walked way, ignoring her cries as he did so.

"Where are you going? Help me! Harry! Please! HARRY!"

**TBC…**

_I'm sorry if this chapter feels a little hurried at times, I had to write the first half twice since it somehow got deleted the first time… but I hope you enjoyed it anyway!_


	6. Day One II

_The story is now on 100 alerts! I'm so glad you all like it!_

**Chapter FIVE**

When Harry emerged from the lower levels of Torchwood Three's headquarters he found the remaining members sitting around a large table, laughing, as Jack told a story.

"... so she said, if I'd known what he was I never would have married him."

"She knew, she knew all along." Tosh disagreed, but laughter was in her voice as she spoke. Harry supposed this job wasn't so different than fighting in a war where people were dying all around you. You needed to keep things light, he reminded himself as he tried not to think of the girl.

"At least when he started leaving black trails of mucus in the bathtub." Ianto added.

"That is a big give away." Jack said, making a face, "Alien's have no sense of household hygiene" He then added, turning to look over at Harry standing in the doorway. "Sit down. We ordered for you too, but now I gotta pee."

As soon as Jack left the room all eyes turned to Harry expectantly as he reached for a food container. "What?"

"What has he told you?" Owen was first to ask, though it was obvious the others were equally curious.

"What about?"

"Himself." Tosh elaborated.

"You have been here longer than I have." Harry reminded them. This was not a conversation he wanted to have.

"We were banking on you." Tosh said.

"You are a bartender, people tell you stuff and Jack has been spending his evenings at your pub all week." Owen explained.

"You don't know anything?" Harry asked.

"Not who is. Not where he's from. We don't know anything, except him being gay."

"He isn't gay. I can tell you that from his visits to the pub."

"Only Owen thinks that." Tosh dismissed.

"Period military isn't the dress code of a straight man."

"If you can pull it off, wear whatever you want." Harry said calmly, as a wizard he had seen men dress in far odder muggle cloths that that. "I think it suits him, sort of classic."

"Exactly!" Tosh agreed.

"Would you do him?" Owen asked Harry, causing Harry to raise his eyebrows in surprise. "Well, we all know you're gay after today."

"I'm not gay." Harry smiled.

"Bi then."

"Not exactly." Harry disagreed, thinking of a vampire he'd met when he was 19, then there was that vela in France... "I don't discriminate and I don't do labels."

"Like Jack then." Tosh said. "He would shag anything if it's gorgeous enough. I have seen him in action."

"We know he's from America, right?" Harry asked quickly, hoping to steer the subject back to Jack. He really didn't know much about the man.

"We don't even know that for sure." Owen told him.

"No US citizen has been born by the name of Jack Harkness born in America in the last 50 years." Tosh added.

"Maybe his identity is classified." Harry suggested.

"He has to be something big in the CIA." Ianto jumped in. "That's what I reckon."

"He probably has his reasons to keep things secret." Harry told them.

"Like you?" Owen asked. "You are even more of a mystery than he is. Go 16 months back and there isn't a trace of you anywhere. We looked."

"It's complicated." Harry told them.

"We can take complicated." Owen insisted just as Jack walked back in.

"Leave it alone, Owen. We tell what we want to tell unless it directly related to a case. That's the rule."

"Yeah, yeah."

After the meal Harry found himself staring at one of the monitors, showing Carys in her cell. She was crying, and there was nothing he could do for her. He didn't know how long he had stared at her crying image when Jack came up beside him.

"We are doing everything we can, even if it may not seem like it. Even when we were eating the computers have been running a full bio-scan on her, profiling her blood, metabolism, organs, skin, the works, so we can see the effect the alien is having on her. It has also been taking samples of the air in the cell so that we can analyse any changes in the environment around her." Harry nodded.

"I'm going back down, she shouldn't be alone."

"She is most likely going to not going to survive. The hosts rarely do, if they were even alive to begin with that is." Jack warned. "Don't get attached to her, it will only make it harder."

"Getting attached is what makes us human, it's what makes us fight and survive."

"If you let yourself become attached you won't be able to handle this job."

"Without attachments I would have died when I was 15 months old. My parents gave their lives to save mine. People have died to keep me safe, so why should I get to protect myself when there might be a chance I can save someone else if I don't? Without emotions and attachments we become mosters." Harry told him without any particular emotion in his tone. Then he shook his head. "I need some air or I'm gonna fall asleep." With that he left, Jack staring after him not sure what to say.

Walking around the streets of Cardiff Harry's mind kept jumping between old memories and the girl in the cell. It was mid-afternoon by the time he decided to go back. Being slightly closer to the harbour than the plass Harry headed towards the tourist office and the second entry to the hub. He needed to talk to Carys, needed to find some way to help her.

What he had not expected was nearly being run over by her as she was making her escape a few blocks from the hub. Without thinking Harry automatically drew his wand and sent a stunner after her, making her freeze in mid motion. Casting a quick invisibility charm on the two of them Harry began to levitate her stunned form back to the hub, releasing her from the stunner only a block from the entrance and led her inside only to find Jack staring at a severed hand, Tosh in front of the computer and Ianto placing a cup of coffee next to her on the desk. None were out searching for her.

"Did I miss something? Are we letting Alien possessed humans running free on the street without looking for them? Should I let her go?" He asked darkly.

"She escaped. Tosh was looking for her on the city's CCTVs." Jack said evenly, barely glancing up from the hand as he said so. Tosh on the other hand looked guilty, and gave the two of them an apologetic shrug.

"And why weren't you out looking for her, Jack?"

"Something came up." Jack said before suddenly standing up. "We need to get her back to the holding cell."

"Do it quickly and isolate the air in her cell. I'll explain later." Owen told them as he walked into the room. "You all better see this."

Less than five minutes later the entire team were gathered in the autopsy room as Owen spoke.

"So, I'm trying to interoperate the results of the bio-scan, yeah? But it's just a mess; it's like there is no definitive reading, because everything in her body keeps changing, noting stays constant so as soon as you have something clearly, blood pressure, whatever, it all goes wild again."

"Because she is fighting the alien for control of her body?" Jack guessed.

"Yeah. So anyway, I decided to do a comparative diagnostic, recreate circumstances, accelerated the process a little, to see what's going to happen to Carys. I infected the rat with a combination of the vorax and the seraniom gas traces we found at the crash site and at the nightclub."

"The rat looks fine to me." Tosh commented, looking at the rat Owen put on display in a glass cage in the middle of the room.

"Yeah, it's first when the gasses are released the party really start. The heart rate triples, the brain swells, pressing against the scull. As that keeps going the lungs begin to shrink, making it impossible to breath, making the pressure increase on all the internal organs until…" Splash, the rat exploded. "Rat jam."

"That's what gonna happen to Carys?" Jack asked, looking down at the glass cage.

"Right now there is a struggle where Carys ends and the alien begins. Let's just say it's a damn good thing you found her." He added looking at Harry. "She could explode anywhere, if it happened in public… this way we can keep it isolated."

"How can we help her?" Harry asked, tarring his eyes away from the rat's remains, ignoring Owen's rather callous words.

"We can't." Owen said. "Not unless we get the alien out of her and it's not gonna leave. It can't survive in our atmosphere for long without a human host."

"Can't we make it uncomfortable or lure it out?"

"Nope, don't know enough about it and not without offering another host, and before you offer; only women would do."

After Owen't little demonstration Harry walked down to the cells, sitting down on the floor in front of hers. She stared back at him, defeated.

"What happened to you friend? The one you told me about." She asked.

"I killed the thing doing it to her." Harry told her, thinking about how he sunk the basilisk tooth into the diary down in the chamber of secret. It felt like a lifetime or two had passed.

"Can you save me too?"

"The thing possessing you isn't separate. It doesn't exist outside of you. Ginny had created a link with something that allowed it to possess her. Your body is the link, you share it."

"Then, what's going to happen to me?"

"I don't know." Harry lied.

"I don't want to die or disappear." She told him. "Why did you bring me back here? If I'm going to die anyway…"

"I had to, you would have killed if I left you out there. You wouldn't be able to stop yourself and you would die. Here you might have a chance."

"Will you sit with me? It is afraid of you; it doesn't want to take control. What you did, it scared it. It couldn't move. I couldn't feel it, I was me again."

"What I did locks down everything but your brain and senses. It was still in there."

"It was nice, being me again." She smiled.

10:43 PM, Harry looked away. Carys was dead, he hadn't saved her. Looking back up again he saw her remains sliding down the glass that had separated them and behind it he could see a pink misty gas that he would have expected to find in a potion lab rather than in a cell. He stared at it, completely emotionless as it tried to escape but found no way out from its airtight container. After a few seconds it stopped and began to solidify, turning into a small pile of dust, not unlike the remains of Matt Stevens. Carys' remains was a different matter, she didn't look too different from the muggle from his old case, the one he had thought about earlier in the nightclub. But this was worse, he had never spoken to that man, he had never promised he would help. He hadn't watched him slowly die in front of him.

Harry nearly jumped when a hand suddenly was placed firmly on his shoulder. Turning around he came face to face with Jack, he looked concerned. Worried even.

"It's been two hours." He told him.

"Oh."

"Everyone else has left. Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" He said after a second of consideration. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Was it worth it?"

"Yeah, no one be alone when they die." Harry told him.

"By bringing her back you saved many lives."

"Does that matter to you, human lives? Or is all this just to catch aliens?"

"It matters, but I need to look at the bigger picture."

"That kind of thinking made a man I knew keep a small child alive only so he could sacrifice it at the right moment for the greater good."

"Do you fault him?"

"No, I miss him. I miss all of them."

**TBC…**

_I came up with an ending after all, what do you think? Considering the drop in reviews and such on the last chapter I hope you like this one better, I do (^_^)_

_I don't know if I will be able to post new chapters tomorrow and the day though, I have a lot of things to do the next couple of days, but I will do my best!_


	7. Small Worlds I

**Chapter SIX**

It was midday when Harry got the call. He had left his number when he went with her to the hospital last time, apparently it was the only contact number they had for her. Mary had collapsed again. She smiled sweetly at him from the bed when he arrived, she didn't look sick or hurt. But she looked tired, so tired.

"I'm sorry, Harry. They shouldn't have called you."

"What's going on? And don't tell me it's low blood sugar again." He told her, sitting down on the chair next to the bed.

"I've got cancer." She told him. "And I don't want to be treated like a sickling. I just want to live as normally as possible for as long as I can. So please, don't tell Ed. I will tell him myself when I don't have any other choice, if this treatment doesn't work..."

"You should have told us, or at least Ed. He loves you like a daughter."

"So you two could treat me like I'm made of glass? Tell me to sit down all the time? Go home early and have a rest? I wanna live." She told him. "And I will, the reason I keep fainting is because of this new treatment. But if it works I will be fine."

"And if it doesn't?" Harry asked.

"Since when are you so negative?" She asked with a small smile. "If there is a will there is a way, isn't that what you usually to say? This will work."

"I hope so."

"Good, now get out of here. I will leave soon myself. The doctor just wants to run a few more tests. I will see you night, yeah? Don't have many shifts left now."

"Only three." He said.

"You've trained Tina well you know." She told him. "We will be fine. But we're gonna miss you, and if you ever change your mind I'm sure I'll be able to convince Ed to give you your job back. Now, out. I might as well get a few minutes of shut eye while I wait."

As he closed the doors behind him he thought he saw Ianto rushing passed him. It took him only a second to decide to follow. He had only known the man for little over a week and not well, but like the others in team Ianto didn't know anyone in the city. Their job didn't really give much free time for a social life hence worry began to grip Harry's heart as he followed.

The sight that greeted him when he finally caught up with him was not one he had expected. There was no Tosh, Owen or Jack lying on the bed Ianto had sat down by. In it was a young woman. She was beautiful, she wasn't moving, and even with the duvet over her Harry could see that she was missing the better part of a leg. Her left arm was resting on top of it, but it was thin, too thin, showing signs of severe scaring. On her forehead was a faint scar as if she had been cut with a sharp knife. Whatever she had been through it hadn't been pleasant, yet despite it all she was beautiful, and the way Ianto looked at her… he loved her.

Suddenly feeling very guilty Harry slipped away, this wasn't any of his business. Not really. Whoever she was she was important to Ianto. He was sure he himself hadn't looked much happier when he went to see Ron, though he hoped he hadn't looked at him the way Ianto looked at the woman or Ron would kill him if he ever saw him again. Briefly he wondered what Ron would say if he saw Harry now, hunting aliens and, to use Tosh's words for Jack, shagged anything as long as it was gorgeous enough. A smile crept up on his lips as he thought of what Ron's most likely reaction would be; aliens he would accept then he'd want to know if he had wanted to shag him when they shared a dorm, probably looking slightly panicked. He hadn't though. Back then Harry hadn't thought of anyone but Cho in that way, and after that one kiss that had changed. He hadn't had time.

As night fell things quickly got awkward at the pub when Mary arrived, pretending as if nothing was wrong. But now Harry knew better and he could tell the woman's acting wasn't fooling Ed at all. He kept looking at her, even stayed on after he was supposed to go home just keep an eye on her. But Harry's concern for the two of them lessened as he noticed Jack's absence. Unless something was happening in the hub Jack had been there on each and every one of Harry's evening shifts since they had met. Which was a little odd when Harry thought about it. If the others didn't know anything about Jack, then that couldn't be his normal behaviour. But then again he supposed it wasn't everyday he told people he couldn't die and got the mere response, 'I can't die either'. Though he hadn't really talked with him about it, it was still bound to make him curious and he seemed to find Harry's insistence that there was magic both amusing and maybe a little annoying at times. Harry had considered giving him a better show, maybe transfigure something or show him a few charms and spells. But after some thought came to the decision it was probably better for Jack to remain a sceptic. Besides it was entertaining to hear Jack rationalise what little magic he had shown him, at least most of the time.

The following morning Harry was woken by a text from Jack at 7 am calling him all down to the hub. Harry was not pleased and as he sat down there was little Harry wouldn't do for a cup of Mrs Weasley's magical tea to wake him up. Instead he had to make do with a few sips of Ianto's coffee before Jack came down the stairs to the main area ordering Harry to follow.

An hour, and an annoyed Harry, later Jack led him into an old theatre with a fairy poster outside. Harry glared at him.

"You woke me up after four hours of sleep to bring me to a lecture about fairies? You got be kidding me."

"Nope. We got a special invitation from an old friend of mine." Jack said with a grin, ignoring Harry's sour exterior as they made their way inside. Thankfully the lecture was in its final stages when they entered. Apparently fairy lectures didn't warrant the best time slots.

"And it's been no easy task, one needs to have the patience of an saint and the blind faith of a prophet. But for me the long wait has been worth while." The old lecturer told them. She looked sweet; she had a child-like innocence about her as she spoke of her fairies that Harry had lost long ago.

As she changed the photo slide adoring the wall behind her she smiled proudly. On it was a stone circle in the woods and flying around them were small luminous figures with small wings. "This is my first picture. Not that clear, I know. But the wings and stones can be seen quite clearly." She told them. Her next slide showed a close capture of the fairy, or at least what she thought was one. Muggles shouldn't be able to see them, much less capture them on film, but these creatures certainly looked like fairies. Though the bright light surrounding them in these pictures made it hard to see. Harry didn't know what to make of it and lost in his own thoughts he didn't notice the lecture end until he was brought back to earth by Jack telling him to come with him down to the lady lecturer.

Still not sure what to make of it Harry left Jack to ask the questions. If Jack believed the woman wasn't making it all up there had to be a reason for his faith in her and Harry was curious considering Jack's usual reaction to anything magical.

"Oh, I took them in Roundstone wood, not far from here." She answered his question before smiling up at him, giving the younger looking man an affectionate smile, one that Jack returned readily. They were sweet, the two of them.

"It's so good to see you again, Jack." The woman said. He didn't need to reply, his smile said it all, but soon Jack let out a sigh looking at one of the photos and Harry stood up to join them.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Oh, Jack and I have always disagreed about fairies." The woman said with a dismissive gesture. "I only see the good ones, he only ever sees the bad ones."

"They are all bad, Estelle." Jack disagreed. There was a history there between the two and Jack did little to hide the affection he had for her.

"No, I refuse to believe that!"

"One person's good could be someone else's evil." Harry offered diplomatically, remembering one of Hermione's old rants about acceptance as she tried to convince Ron of something. He couldn't remember what, but he remembered Ron thinking her argument lacked any sense what so ever and had refused to concede.

However Estelle's eyes briefly glazed over at his words before she revealed that Jack's father used to tell her the same thing and Harry almost missed the guilty flinch on Jack's face as she said it. Almost. Her sad expression, however, soon vanished and the excitement she showed earlier returned.

"Oh, Jack. If only you'd seen them there in the wood!" Jack's smile returned at the tone of her voice, but as her words sunk in it faded again. "They were happy, they were dancing. The fairy light was shining!"

"Do you have any more photos?" he interrupted and Estelle smiled in defeat.

"Yes, at home."

"Right." He laughed. "Well, I need to see them all."

Her home was a two-story house with a small garden surrounding it. For some reason Harry had imagined her in a countryside villa with acres of land for her fairies to play in. After all fairies rarely did anything else, they weren't the brightest of creatures, though extremely vain and quarrelsome. He was sure Estelle's home wouldn't be up to their standards. Vain little monsters, he thought with an amused smile. He remembered seeing them for the first time at Hogwarts and hearing Ron sourly explain what they were. He didn't like them much, apparently they hay hadn't thought the Burrow had been up to par when his mother had bought some as Christmas decorations one year.

The inside of the house was cosy with a few new age elements and somehow Harry was sure that she, unlike Jack, wouldn't have any problem believing him if he told her he was a wizard.

After handing jack a pack of photographs Estelle excused herself, leaving the two of them alone to work. Though Harry didn't really see what the point of him being there was as he started to brows around the room. Stopping by a small collection of photographs on the mantelpiece Harry picked up a photo of Jack taken in the 1940s. He looked almost exactly the same, only the hairstyle had changed a little. Putting it back Harry glanced over at Jack, regardless of what Estelle might think there was no way the man in the photograph wasn't the same Jack Harkness that was in the room with him.

"You told her you were your own son?" Harry asked. Jack looked up and seemed to be about to reply when Harry added. "How old are you Jack? Really?"

"That's not me, that's my father. He and Estelle used to be quite an item once upon a time."

"My oldest lover was 403 years old, she didn't look a day over 20. Don't give me that bullshit."

"Really and what species was she? A 'vampire'? Did she show you her fangs?" While Jack seemed to take pleasure in teasing him about his belief in magic and magical creatures Harry easily saw through Jack's attempt to change the subject.

"Didn't have any." Harry answered shortly. "Now, you don't need to tell me, but don't tell me that is your dad." He pointed at the photo, "And don't lie to me." Jack remained quiet and Harry took his silence as an admission and merely nodded. Everyone had their secrets they wanted to keep. Though Harry wasn't going to lie, he was curious.

**TBC…**

_When you are so nice in all your reviews I feel guilty if I don't post chapters! Oh well, as you can see I finished this chapter in time and I will do my best tomorrow =)_


	8. Small Worlds II

_Since I will be gone all day tomorrow I'm posting tomorrow's chapter today but I expect to see many reviews when I get back! So far I haven't gotten very many on today's chapter… But to be honest I tend to like the second parts of my 'episodes' better myself so maybe I don't have a right to complain…. Still 3 is a little sad… =(_

**Chapter SEVEN**

"So you believe in fairies? And here you have made fun of me for over a week just because I believe in magic." Harry asked with a teasing edge as they left Estelle's house.

"She calls them fairies. I don't." Jack said sharply.

"Then what do you call them? Aliens?" Harry suggested, using the man's usual excuse.

"They are not alien." He said. "And they don't have a name. What do you call something from the dawn of time, how could you possibly give it a name?"

"What are they then?" Harry asked, curious as to how he would explain them.

"They are a part of us. Part of our world, yet we know nothing about them. So we pretend to know what they look like. We see them as happy, we imagine they have tiny little wings, and are bath in moonlight. But in reality…. Think dangerous. Think something you can only half-see; like a glimpse, like something out of the corner of your eye. Then add a touch of myth, a touch of the spirit world, a touch of reality, all jumbled together. Old moments and memories that are frozen in amongst it. Like the breeze spinning around a ringed planet, tossing, turning, whirling. Backwards and forwards through time."

"I think you might believe in magic after all." Harry said sarcastically. Jack look exasperated.

"Please, don't tell me you believe in Estelle's kind of fairies?"

"Not quite. When I think fairy, I think decorations." He offered, letting Jack interpret it however he wanted.

"Well, they are real. I have seen what they can do."

"So we will call them fairies then?" Harry asked, but apparently he sounded too amused because Jack stopped dead and turn to look at him. There wasn't a hint of amusement in his face. He was worried.

"Just because you believe in magic don't go thinking you know what we are up against. If that's them, we have to find them. We need to act now before all hell breaks loose. They are dangerous."

When Harry and Jack stepped into the hub later the remaining members were already set up around the table… a weather-scan already active and on display.

"Why exactly do we need to monitor the weather?" Tosh asked when they were all seated.

"Fairies." Harry replied, ignoring Jack's glare.

"Fairies?" Owen echoed in disbelief.

"Some people call them that." Jack said, ready to take control. "But they are nothing like in the fairytales. These things are dangerous, they can control the elements and if they want they can destroy everything in this world. If this sighting is real we have to act now. Here." He handed Tosh the folder he had taken from Estelle's. "Digitalize everything, we're gonna need it. All our usual programs are useless, they won't register. So keep monitoring the city for strange weather patterns; they like to play tricks with it."

"So where was this sighting then?" Owen asked.

"In a place called Roundstone wood."

"Oh, I know it. It has an odd history."

"How do you mean 'odd'?"

"It's always stayed wild. In the ancient times it was considered bad luck to walk in there, even collect timber." Owen continued. "Even the Romans stayed clear of it."

"That's where we start."

Walking through the wood Jack was tense, though Harry still didn't see the danger. Then again they had a very different view on what fairies were. Harry readily admitted that they had some magic, but not much; barely enough to protect themselves from predators. Jack on the other hand seemed to see them as demons, far worse than anything else in the universe. In addition he seemed annoyed with Harry's and Owen's lack of caution and fear as they made their way through the trees and to the stone circle in Estelle's photographs.

When they finally reached the circle Harry stopped dead in his tracks. Magic, he could feel it all around him. Owen didn't seem to notice his sudden stop as he began to take readings of the place, but Jack did.

"What do you see?"

"It's not what I see, it's what I feel." He said, a small smile on his lips. "Magic."

"We don't have time for this." Jack didn't sound pleased. "Just keep an eye out."

Only a matter of seconds later Harry could hear the fairies, strangely enough he seemed to be the only one at first. It wasn't until he began to heed their calls that Jack seemed to notice and began to run after him as Harry took off.

By the time Jack caught up Harry was surrounded by small humanoid creatures with delicate insect-like wings. They look the very picture of innocence, of beauty and of mystery. Harry was talking with them, thanking them, smiling. And all Jack could do was stare. If fairytales were real then, at that moment, Harry look every inch a fairytale prince getting guidance from the fairies on his quest for his princess. It wasn't until Harry began to glow and fade that Jack called out for him. The effect was immediate; the fairies disappeared, the glow vanished and Harry solidified. He was smiling, it was the brightest smile Jack had ever seen on the man's face. He suddenly looked so young, his eyes suddenly didn't look too old for his body anymore; something Jack had always thought. At that moment he didn't look older then a teenager.

Running back to Jack Harry grabbed hold of his arms, grinning at the man.

"You're right!" He said, laughter in his eyes. "They aren't fairies. They are fairies, veelas, vampires, giants, centaurs, wizards and witches; they are everything rolled up in one. In my world magic didn't choose one creature but many, some horses became unicorns, some humans witches and wizards, some wolves became werewolves etc. but these creatures… they got everything at once and more. They are like me, yet they are nothing like me. I thought I was alone." He looked straight at him, for the first time seeming to really see him. "I thought that there wasn't any magic in this world, only what fell through the rifts. But there is. They are magic, far more concentrated than anything I have seen. They are one, but still individuals. They are everywhere and in every time, all at once. I can't travel more than a few hours in time, but they… they… I can't explain it. They don't just have magic, they are magic!"

"How do you know all this?" Harry's mind didn't even register the solemn tone as he spoke. He was too happy.

"They showed me, I let me share their mind, minds... I don't know. But I even saw their world, they showed my world, I saw Neville. He and Luna are married now. WWW is huge, they have a stop everywhere, and Ginny is pregnant. They can see into my world but they can't go there... They are amazing, absolutely amazing." Suddenly he stopped. His smile vanished and he frowned. "They are going to kill him."

"Who? Who are they going to kill?" Jack asked, trying to focus on one thing at the time. Tucking the rest of it away in the back of his mind.

"The man. The pedophile. He is a danger to her… I saw him watching her…" He sounded strange as he spoke, distant, then suddenly his eyes focused in on Jack again. "We have to go to the police station." He sounded urgent.

Halfway there Jack got a call from Tosh, there had been an odd death. When they arrived Tosh was already there and the police officer didn't hesitate; he immediately led them to a cell. On its floor was the man Harry had seen in the fairies' mind, there wasn't a scratch on him, but he was dead. No doubt about it.

"At first we thought he was a drunk or a nutcase or both." The PC told them. "Said things were following him. Shadows he said, he was going on about being choked."

"Name?" Jack asked, while Tosh went over to the body, kneeling next to it.

"Mark Goodson, worked in town. Business consultant." Tosh answered as she started to examine the victim.

"Cause of death?"

"Going on the pinpoint hemorrhages around the irises and around hairline I would say oxygen deficiency. But it's odd, there is no fingertip bruising on the face or anything else to suggest that pressure was applied." They wouldn't need it Harry thought darkly, he wouldn't leave a trace either if he wanted to kill with magic. Not in this world at least, they would never be able to explain it.

"Maybe he swallowed somethin'?" The PC offered, Harry had nearly forgotten about him.

"Maybe." Tosh offered, looking down his throat. Rose peddles, enough of them to choke a man to death. "I've never seen anything like this before."

"I have." Jack said when no one else spoke. "Grab the CCTV."

Back in the hub Tosh quickly started playing the CCTV footage on the large screen. The man was screaming and trashing as he tried to escape some invisible force. It wasn't the first time Harry had seen a magical murder captured on muggle video cameras, and he knew that for the fairies killing this man was no different than a father shooting a bear threatening his child. But this was different, watching the footage Harry knew that they took pleasure in it, it was a game. But then again, what can one expect from eternal children? Few beings could be as cruel as a child.

"Why the peddles in his mouth?" Tosh question made him look at Jack and rejoin the conversation.

"Just a bit of fun on their part. Its how these creatures like to do things. They play games, torment and then they kill." Jack said darkly, he didn't like them. That much was obvious.

"Why?"

"It's a punishment or a warning to others. They protect their own, their chosen ones. Somehow children and the spirit world they go together…"

"Its their minds that makes them different, at least partly." Harry explained. "An adult's mind is fully formed, they can't accept certain things, they wouldn't be able to adapt to the life that awaits them. They are too stuck in logic; everything needs to make sense, be lineal when it's not. Life isn't, time isn't. It's all happening at once. I still can't gasp it even though I know it's true, but a child can. They just accept it."

"So any child can be a chosen one?" Owen asked. "Can become a… fairy?"

"Not any child, they need to be born with a certain sense, I guess, and they are a few and far between. In a sense these chosen ones are their children, it's how these fairies are made. They are children themselves after all. It's hard to explain."

"They told you this?" Jack asked.

"They didn't tell me anything, they showed me."

"Why you? What makes you special?" Owen asked. "Why not me or Jack?"

"I have that necessary sense, if they had found me as a child I would probably have become one of them." Harry said, it was partly true. Jack didn't want him talking about magic with the team so he didn't really have a choice.

"They are going to kidnap a child then?" Tosh asked. Harry didn't really like the term, it wasn't a kidnapping, but he nodded.

"How do we stop them?"

"First we need to find out who they want." Jack jumped in. "But we can't trap them. They have control over the elements; fire, water, the air we breath; they can drag that air right out of our bodies… sometimes I think they are part Mara."

"Mara?" Harry asked, he had never heard of them.

"A kind of malignant wraths. It's where the word nightmare came from. They suffocate people in their sleep…" Jack shook his head. "Anyway, Tosh, I need you to keep a very close eye on the weather. Owen, get some sleep, you are going to over for Tosh in three hours. You switch every three hours after that. Harry, I believe you have a shift at the pub, but if something happens I expect you to be there. You know them better than I do."

It wasn't until the next morning that Tosh or Owen registered any unusual weather patterns. The reading showed a school not far from the wood. Upon arriving Jack easily identify the chosen, a girl named Jasmine. After that it didn't take long to track her down or for the fairies to show up. He didn't know what had aggravated them but when they showed they looked little like fairies and more like velas on the warpath in the middle of a hurricane.

They attacked a man, who Harry could only assume was Jasmine's father, and killed him before disappearing into the wood behind the house with the girl running after them. Jack and Harry didn't hesitate to follow and within seconds they had caught up with the girl. She had stopped and turned around.

"Do you know you walk in the forest?" She asked them. "You are, it looks like a very old forest and it's magical. He's seen it, but he didn't want to stay." She pointed at Harry. "I do."

"You can see this forest?" Jack asked. "But it's not here. It's just an illusion, Jasmine. It is." She shook her head. "Your friends are just playing a game with you. The real forest can never come back." This time he wasn't looking at her, but at the trees around them.

"Oh, it can." Jasmine disagreed. "When they take me to it."

"What about your mother?" Jack asked, trying to remind her of what tied her to this life, this time. The fairies didn't like it and they could hear them moving all around them.

"The child isn't sure!" Jack yelled, grabbing a hold of her, ignoring her protests. "Leave her alone, find another chosen one."

"It's too late, she belongs with us." The fairies responded, their voices working as one.

"The child belongs here!"

"No! She lives forever." They hissed in perfect harmony.

"Suppose we make her stay with us." Jack said.

"Then more people will die." Jasmine told him. "Like they killed all those other people, like they killed Roy. If they want to they can make great storms, wild seas, turn the world to ice."

"Come away, oh human child" they called from the trees, allowing Jasmine to answer Jack's questions. Harry already knew the answers. "Come away."

"Kill every living thing." She continued trashing in Jack's arms. He looked absolutely horrified, not doubting her for even a second as she spoke. "Let me go!"

"The child won't be harmed?" Jack asked the fairies. He was giving in.

"She will live forever." The fairies answered. "Tell him, magic child." They told Harry. "She will never be the same. She belongs with us now."

"A dead world," Jasmine continued. "Is that what you want?"

"What good is that to you?" Jack demanded, falling on his knees in front of her, staring into her eyes. "There would be no more chosen ones."

"They will find us, back in time." Jasmine told her, her voice echoing the voices of the fairies around them. It seemed to do the trick; Jack seemed to be a second away from crying himself as he looked at her before turning to Harry.

"Will she be happy? Will she be safe?"

"She is already one of them. She will die in this world, their world is magical. They need magic to live." Harry told him. Jack nodded and looked back at Jasmine for a second before letting her go. "Take her."

"They would have done the things she said, you know." Harry told him as they watched the girl walk into the forest, the fairies once again looking like the luminous creatures in the fairytales before she disappeared completely. "For the sake of the world, this is the only way. I saw her fairy self yesterday. She will be happy."

"You knew who she was all along?"

"Not until you did, I didn't know it was her or her name. She looked different too, she looked happy. And you shouldn't worry every time there is a sighting. Mostly they come to play with the human children, because they are children."

**TBC…**

_Okay, any thoughts? Was it wrong for Harry to sort of side with the fairies?_

_Oh! Another thing, it won't happen for a long time so I'm just curious about your opinions on the subject. When Harry meet the doctor should he recognize him as Crouch Jr. double or should I just ignore the fact that David Tennant plays both parts? I mean I won't have anyone else look exactly like Hermione or McGonagall in the story… I thought Harry's reaction would be fun to write but I don't know if it fits the story or not… _


	9. The boy who lived & the man who died

_Considering I didn't think I would be able to post anything today I hope this chapter will be a nice surprise although it is shorter than usual, but I promise not to make a habit of it. I wrote this on the train today on my ipad so you'll have to forgive me if I have more errors then usual, no spell check and I don't have time to fix it before I had out again. Hope you'll enjoy it anyway!_

**Chapter EIGHT**

After leaving Jasmine to the fairies Jack had sent everyone else home, everyone except Harry that was. He had wanted a word with him. Despite everyone else's absence Jack closed the door behind them as they walked into his office. He didn't say a word until he was sitting on the other side of the desk, facing Harry. Even then it took a few seconds before he spoke.

"Yesterday, in the woods." He began. "After the those things had spoken to you, you talked about different worlds and rifts. Who are, what are you and where are from? Whatever you say won't leave this room, but I need to know."

"I think this is one of those I show you mine, you show me yours situations." Harry said and Jack nodded in agreement. "I'll start then." Harry took a deep breath and began.

"I was born Harry James Potter, I never lied about that or anything else. I just allowed you to make your own assumptions and I didn't correct them, like you do with this team. I am the only child of Lily and James Potter, I was born on July 31st 1980 in another universe." He had expected Jack to interrupt him, to ask questions, but he didn't and Harry continued.

"They were both magical, like me. My father was a wizard and my mother was a witch, like the fairies here the magical community in my world had more or less sealed itself of from the muggle world, the non-magical part of the world. We are a minority, we need to stay hidden, as to why… well that depends on who you ask. Some would say it's to stay pure, untainted by the muggles. Others to protect ourselves and some would its to protect the muggles. But every now and then there is a magical child born in muggle families, they are called muggleborns. My mother was one of those children. These children, these witches and wizards, are an area of conflict in the magical community. Some people who comes from old magical families, purebloods, think that they are worth less then them, that they are filth..." Harry stopped to look at Jack, let it sink in, but there was nothing on his face, no judgment, no sympathy, nothing.

"This disagreement has led to war too many times to count. The last war began in the late 1970s when a powerful dark wizard who hated muggles and muggleborns rose to power. His fashioned himself a name, Lord Voldemort, and so the war began. In early 1980 there was a prophecy made, a wizard with the power to defeat Voldemort would be born as the 7th month died. That wizard was me and Voldemort came after me when I was 15 months old. Both my parents died protecting me. And my mother's sacrifice made the killing curse Voldemort threw at me bounce off me and back at him. Something like that had never happened before, but it did. Voldemort was reduced to little more than a ghost for many years and I became famous. I became the boy-who-lived."

"That's why you say you can't die?" Jack asked.

"No, that comes later. After my parents were killed I was placed with my muggle aunt and I grew up knowing nothing of magic. At least not until I turned 11, that was when I got my letter from Hogwarts, a boarding school that teaches magic. The next few years I was taught how to transfigure, charm, hex, divine, brew potions and much much more. But at the same time I had people after me who wanted to kill me and people died to protect me. When I was 14 Voldemort returned, he had a new body and seemed stronger than ever. He was set on killing me, he too had heard the prophecy or at least enough to want me dead. Two years later the magical world had almost been over run by him and his followers. Voldemort was in power and I was on the run, looking for ways to stop him. That was my destiny; the prophecy said so. People had died so that I could live and fulfil that purpose. And I did, I killed him when I was 17. The war was over and without knowing it I had gathered three magical artefacts that when combined had made the master of death. It made me immortal. I haven't aged a day since, not even after I got rid of one of the artefacts. Through two of them I brought me into this world."

"How did you end up here? Why walk through a rift when the war was already over?"

"Almost everyone I loved had died in the war. But there was one person, my godfather, who had fallen through a rift when saving my life back in 1996. Magic keep that rift open in my world, most wizards think it's a portal to the land of the dead and leave it alone. I didn't care, if there was even the slightest chance…I was tired of the fame, the expectations, everything was just a reminder of everything I had lost and I thought maybe, maybe, I didn't have to have lost Sirius. Maybe he was still alive in this other world, so I started to research it. I already knew a little, I had found a passage in a book about the rift by accident, and then one day I went through to find him and here I am."

Jack stared at him for a good few minutes, not saying a word, just letting everything sink in.

"I always thought you looked a little too young." Was the first thing out of his lips and Harry had to laugh. "Now I guess it's my turn."

Next Jack told him a story more amazing than Harry's own. Jack was born on the Boeshane Peninsula in one of the earth's colonies in 51st century. He had a mother, father and brother, aliens abducted the latter when he was a child and his father had died in the same attack. After it was only Jack and his mother. But he was born in a time where time travel was not only an idea but also a possibility. When he grew into adulthood he joined the Time Agency. The Agency employed humans called Time Agents. These Agents used wrist straps that enabled them to travel through time for missions. The Agents' purpose was to change without interfering, to leave an effect with no evidence of cause. They were to be untraceable, undetectable, invisible. For all intents and purposes, the Agents didn't exist.

After a disagreement he left the agency and became a time-travelling conman only to meet _the docto_r, a time-travelling alien, and his human companion, Rose. Jack didn't go into much detail about either but it was during an adventure with them that Jack gained his immortality. He didn't know what or how exactly it had happened, he just knew he'd died and then woken up again alone in year 200100. He used the Vortex manipulator in his Time Agency wrist strap to go to Cardiff, aiming for the 21st century. But his Vortex manipulator burned out and he ended up a little further back then planned, 1869 to be precise.

Jack had stayed in Cardiff, more or less, ever since, knowing that the TARDIS, the doctor's space/time machine, would need to re-fuel itself using the rift one day. The doctor would return and Jack would finally be able to ask what had happened and how to change back.

After getting used to, and accept, his immortality Jack had fought in many wars, both human and human vs. alien. He had also been recruited by Torchwood as a part-time agent back at turn of the 19th century, later become a full-time agent working with different teams in the Cardiff area. Though his current team was still rather new after one of his old colleagues and teammates had suffered a nervous breakdown and killed everyone but Jack.

And now he was here with a human doctor, a computer genius and a bartender/immortal wizard from an alternate universe in the 21st century.  
>Life was a curious thing.<p>

After that conversation Harry would have given almost anything not to go into work at the pub. But Saturday was a busy night and he had no intention of letting them down. Not when he could help it, not when it was his last day.

**TBC…**

_So, what did you think? Good way for Jack and Harry to find out about each other?_


	10. Countrycide I

**_Q&A_**

_Why is Harry not contemplating healing one of the only people he knows in this world?_

Well, he can't. Sure, Harry is a wizard and an auror. But he isn't a healer… he only knows a few healing spells and he can't really do any potions he didn't bring with him. It would for example be impossible to get dragon scales in the Torchwood universe and he isn't Hermione. He wouldn't bring a magical library with him.

_When will jack start believing Magic is real? And will Harry find his godfather?_

You will have to read and see =)

**Chapter NINE**

"Ain't you happy you chose to join the team full-time?" Owen asked sarcastically as they the left the camp. "Why pour drinks in a nice warm pub when you can be out gathering firewood in the bloody countryside?"

Harry couldn't help but agree, he had had enough of camping during the war. He would have been happy never seeing a tent again for as long as he lived. Instead he ended up with muggle tents on the Welsh countryside while looking for possible aliens abducting humans. In the last five months 17 people had disappeared in the area. The police was lost and the case had caught Jack's eye somehow. One minute the missing people had been there and the other- gone.

Jack's brilliant idea to get to the bottom of it had been camping, without warning anyone on the team before hand. Had he known Harry would have brought his own tent, he wouldn't mind seeing Jack trying to explain it. After all it was bigger on the inside, fully furnished and went against almost every law of muggle physics.

Jack seemed to have decided that magic was merely a strong connection to the spirit world and nature that allowed certain people and creatures to manipulate it. It may seem like magic but in someway it was science, he was sure that if studied it could be explained. Hence he admitted to the possibility of a world where humans possessed some of the abilities the 'fairies' possessed and even that Harry came from it. He also believed Harry had played a key part in a war between people possessing these abilities, which they had dubbed magic. But magic in the 'magical' sense was not real.

He claimed it had to be a mutation that they weren't able to detect because it hadn't happened or started to happen in this universe so they wouldn't know where to look. Just like they hadn't know why some aliens were able to read minds while humans weren't. It had taken them nearly 300 years to figure out the answer. There was nothing magical about Harry, just different mutations and evolution that allowed him to do different things. It had taken him two days to come up with that answer after Harry had told him his life story. He should have known Jack's easy acceptance that day had been too easy. But instead of asking questions or voiced his scepticism he had come up with an explanation on his own in silence. Now whether Jack really believed his theory or if it was just him trying to rationalise what Harry told him Harry wasn't sure. One thing Jack however hadn't done was ask Harry if he could do any tests on him, not even non-invasive ones. Maybe he was afraid of the results.

Harry shook his head, analysing Jack would take far too much time, they needed to collect the firewood and get back. The thought had barely crossed his mind when Harry saw something move from the corner of his eye.

"Owen! Something is here." Harry warned. Hoping to catch sight of it again he carefully turning around in a circle. Owen on the other hand didn't move an inch; he was listening.

"There!" He suddenly yelled before taking of in the same direction he had pointed. Harry wasn't far behind. But somehow whatever had followed them had gotten away.

"Damn." Harry muttered to himself, however it wasn't seconded. Something had caught Owen's eye. Not far away from was a piece of white tarpaulin covering something. On instinct Harry's hand moved towards his wand rather than the gun as Owen moved closer. He caught himself a second before he raised it went for the gun instead.

With some hesitation Owen used a stick to push the white material away, revealing a human caucus stripped of not only its cloths and skin, but as far as Harry could see its organs too. But while Owen jumped back at the sight Harry only stared at it with emotionless eyes.

"We should call the others."

Minutes later the whole team was gathered around the body, Owen on his knees next to it. Harry, Jack and Tosh close by, listening to his findings, while Ianto put up the crime scene tape.

"So this is just a dump site?" Tosh asked as Owen finished his rapport. "Why now? Why here? We're too close."

"Maybe they didn't know and then we disturbed them so they ran away?" Owen offered.

"Maybe it's a warning from whatever it is that is responsible." Ianto suggested. "Not to go into their territory."

"Cause of death?"

"Impossible to tell. The body has been stripped of the flesh and body organ-" The next thing they heard were tire scratching cutting him off.

"Was that ours?" Tosh asked, looking at the direction the sound came from. Jack was off and running before any of the others had even moved.

By the time they reached the campsite tents were already run over and the car was disappearing in the distance.

"Fantastic." Owen said sardonically. "Now what do we do?"

"All our stuff was in there, there is nothing useful here." Tosh complained, glaring at Owen. "It's basic security protocol! Don't leave the keys in the car!"

"I'm sorry alright… I forgot. I'm human, I make mistakes."

"Looks like that body wasn't a warning." Jack commented, looking at Harry. "more of a decoy."

"That would mean they have been watching us the whole time we've been here."

"Tosh!" Jack called out. "Can you get a tracking signal?"

"Already done." Ianto told them, holing up a smartphone. "I took the liberty. It's currently 3.4 miles northwest from here. Seems to be parked."

"There is a small village in that area." Tosh informed them.

"Trap." Harry responded immediately.

"I was just thinking the same thing." Jack said before smiling cynically at them. "Anyone fancy a walk?"

50 minutes later the car was still parked in the village somewhere, not that there was much life there either. As far as they could see they were completely alone, it was almost as of they had entered a ghost town. Taking control Jack quickly sent Tosh and Owen off to find the car while he, Harry and Ianto went looking around town, more specifically the pub.

Like the streets the inside of the pub was completely deserted of people, not a single light was lit. Harry found it a little spooky to be honest, even Hogsmeade had been more lively at night during the war than this place. Ianto went behind the bar, there was still money in the cash register, it seemed like everybody had left in a hurry.

Guns at the ready all three of them started searching the premises, so far the only sign of life had been a buzzing fly in the kitchen. Following the noise Harry soon found himself staring at yet another decomposing body. Only this time not all the skin had been removed, it looked more human than the body in the woods.

"Jack, Ianto." Harry called out and within seconds both of them were there staring at the same sight as he was. Like in the woods Harry's eyes were blank, Jack's looked troubled, and Ianto horrified.

"What's going on here?" Harry whispered more to himself than the others but Jack answered, speaking just as quietly as Harry had.

"I don't know." A second later they heard the door downstairs slam shut making both Harry and Jack fly down the stairs while Ianto remained, staring at the body.

Moving from house to house they kept finding new human remains, almost all identical. All missing, if not all then most of, their skin and all organs. Harry didn't show any emotion as they moved on from one house, one body, to the other. At least not until they were greeted with a bang. Shock clouded Harry's eyes as he looked down and saw blood on his hand as he touched his stomach. Then he fell. He was vaguely aware of being moved and seeing Jack's face looking down at him. Maybe he could die after all; maybe he wasn't protected against muggle methods. He certainly felt like he was dying. Then, just as he was sure he would find himself back at King's Cross Station, the world cleared up again. He felt refreshed, energetic and with a renewed vigour he stood up. He tended to just absorb spells that would kill an ordinary wizard. That was it. This was something completely new. Soon he noticed Jack watching him, Harry couldn't really identify the look in his eyes. Shock? Awe? Curiosity?

"Is this what it's like when I come back?" Jack suddenly asked and suddenly his expression made sense.

"How- What- How is that possible?" A third unidentified voice yelled in near hysteria. That had to be his shooter. Following the source of the noise Harry saw a boy shaking in fear.

"Bulletproof vest." Harry told him calmly. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine."

"No! I saw the blood! You were dying!" Harry removed his shirt and walked up to the boy.

"See? I'm perfectly fine. The blood you saw wasn't real. It's all about perception." He added, knowing that whether he believed him or not at that moment he would eventually. It was the only thing that made sense. "Now, what's going on here?"

"Where is the vest then?"

"Can't you just be happy you aren't a murderer?" Harry glanced over at Jack. "Maybe you should…" That seemed to shake him out of whatever trance he had been in. The boy didn't have much to say, he didn't know much more than they did. Although he seemed determined to barricade the door.

"No, we will make base at the pub. Our friends are getting our car, they will meet us there." Again the boy seemed to disagree but saw the benefit of larger numbers and followed.

When they reached the pub Harry was greeted with a gun for the second time that day, though this time it didn't go off before Ianto lowered it and let them inside.

"I have barricaded the other doors." He told them. "I have tried to reach Tosh and Owen. They won't answer. Should we go after them?"

"Not until we know what we are dealing with." Jack told him.

"What if it's too late then?" The situation seemed to be getting to him.

"They are not children, they know what they are doing." Jack told them with absolute certainty. Ianto didn't buy it, and the boy's insistence that they were dead wasn't helping. Suddenly Ianto stopped and took a good look at Harry.

"What happened to your shirt?"

"It got bloody." Harry said and before he could stop him Ianto started unbuttoning his own.

"What are you doing?"

"It's fine, see I have a t-shirt underneath." He said as he finished unbuttoning it and handed Harry the shirt.

"Thanks." Harry smiled a little, before something outside caught his eye and he reached for his gun. "Did anyone else see that?" At the same time they could hear glass smashing at the other side of the house.

"Same one or different?" Ianto asked, all three of them now on alert. "He said they'd come back." He added glancing at the sleeping boy.

"Let's not jump to conclusions." Jack told them. "We don't know who they are or what their intentions are."

"I'd say it's rather obvious." Ianto disagreed, but he didn't get the chance to finish before the lights went out. "That's not good."

Seconds later someone or something was pulling at the basement door and Jack glanced over at Ianto. "You didn't check the cellar?"

"Thought I did." He replied just as Jack tore the door open and started shooting down into the darkness. Sometime during the madness that followed the boy was taken, pulled away from them. Noticing his disappearance Jack turned to Ianto and Harry. "I will take the one in the cellar. It hurt, it took three bullets. You follow Kieran." With a nod they were off.

**TBC…**


	11. Countrycide II

**Chapter Ten**

By the time they got out from the pub the boy and his abductor were gone. There wasn't a single trace anywhere.

"If we can't find Tosh and Owen at least we can find Kiren. They can't have gotten far." Ianto said, already taking off down the road. Harry didn't agree, they didn't know what was doing this, they didn't know how fast or strong it was, but Ianto wasn't giving him a choice. He couldn't leave him to search on his own.

Roughly 15 minutes into their search they saw the first proof of life, apart from Kieran, since they entered the village. Coming towards them on the dark road was police car. They had barely had time to greet the PC before Ianto caught sight of some lights further down the road.

"What's that down there?" Ianto asked. The PC glanced over his shoulder before answering.

"The big house? That's an official village hall. There is a village meeting tonight, that's why I'm here. Now who are you?" He asked, but Harry and Ianto were already passing him in a sprint as they took off towards the house. It was further way than they had thought but at least it was a goal. However the sudden flashes of light in the woods close by made them stop. All it took was one look at each other and they took a sharp turn into vegetation and away from the paved road looking for its source.

A few minutes later Ianto got his chance to shine as he kicked a large middle-aged male of off Tosh. He had had her in a strangle grip and when Harry ran over to her, checking her pulse Tosh was fighting to hold on to her consciousness and trying to desperately pull in as much air as humanly possible into her lugns. When she finally regained her breath it seemed like nothing could have stopped her from speaking as words started pouring out of her mouth.

"They have Owen!" She gasped. "They murdered all the villagers! They cannibalised their bodies!"

Looking up Harry saw Ianto standing over the older man with an expression Harry had never imagined seeing on Ianto's face, his gun raised and aimed at the man's head. He could only assume he had heard Tosh speak.

When he spoke Ianto wasn't speaking to Harry or Tosh but the PC that seemed to have chosen to leave his vehicle and take off on foot after them. Though the words seemed forced, as if he rather just kill the man in front of him.

"You can arrest him now." Ianto said, only to receive a laugh in return as the man looked over at the police constable. The PC smiled in return and before Harry could move he had a gun aimed at his head.

"My own uncle?" He asked. "That would be a laugh, wouldn't it? No, I think this will work out better. Let him go."

After that it didn't take long for Ianto to lower his gun and within a couple of minutes Tosh, along side with Ianto and Harry, found herself thrown into the same room she fled 10 minutes earlier, Owen bleeding on the floor, barely awake.

Harry had never had to fight so hard to keep his facial muscles neutral as he had when he looked around the room, there were human bodies hanging on meat hooks, human hearts and livers on display in glass jars as one might keep dried mushrooms or sugar. Of all revolting things he had seen this was perhaps the worst. He barely even registered the other, living, humans in the room, calmly sitting around a table.

It had been years since Harry last lost control of his magic but just like all those years ago in Dumbledore's office but he could feel it slipping away from him as glass canisters began exploding and shelf began shaking. In fact it was as if the whole house had suddenly begun to shake.

Harry closed his eyes as he tried to force himself to calm down, if he snapped the only one who would be left standing would be Harry himself and only because death wouldn't take him.

So concentrated on his task Harry didn't see as the man dropped the cleaver he previously held against Owen's throat, nor the man reaching for his gun and falling into a defensive position. Harry didn't see a thing as he tried to block everything out, as he tried to force himself to take deep breaths. It wasn't until a tractor came barreling through the wooden door, smashing it into splinters that Harry looked up.

What happened next took only seconds as Jack jumped down from the tractor and started shooting until only Kieran and the Torchwood team remained standing. After taking them all out Jack marched over to the man who had held the cleaver against Owen's throat and held Tosh in a strangle hold, and pressed the gun against his head and suddenly Harry was back to those months after the war when ordinary witches and wizards began to take the law in their own hands and hunt down their offenders during the war. It wasn't right.

Once again in control of himself and his magic Harry walked over to Jack and placed his hand on his arm.

"We don't kill humans if there is another choice." He told him. "And we won't be able to identify the victims without their help, are you going to take that closure away from all those families?"

As the police came to lead the man, his nephew and the rest of the conspirators, the cannibals, away an hour later all Harry could do was watch. The entire village had been in on it, every decade they would kill and eat people passing through the village. They called it 'the harvest' and they had been doing it for decades, maybe even centuries. It was a first for Harry. He had seen people kill and torture before, he had seen remains of human sacrifices, he had even seen people kill for sport, but never had he seen human beings kill other humans for dinner. No matter what the aliens had done or would do against the human race they would never be as frightening as humans themselves. That was a fact.

As he watched them being led away the man with the cleaver looked up and smiled at him. Harry didn't do anything but stare back dead in the eyes.

"Are you even human?" He heard Ianto say beside him, at first he though the question had been aimed at the man but they weren't. His eyes were firmly on Harry.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you feel anything?" He asked. "In the pub… even when they were about to kill us… it was as if you didn't feel anything… you might as well have been dead..."

"They take pleasure in fear and anger, even courage. They would just laugh and mock you for it. Might as well not give them the pleasure." Harry said, looking up to meet his eyes. "That doesn't mean I don't feel." Harry said numbly before walking away from him.

The car ride back to the city was a somber ordeal, no one spoke much and as they reach the hub every single person went their own way. Everyone dealing with the events of the last 24 hours their own way. Harry found himself in his old pub, Tina pouring him pint after pint after pint until old Ed came over and stopped her.

"If this is what your new job is driving you to after just one day you should quit before it kills you." In the wizarding world no one would have tried to stop him, he thought crossly.

"I just helped stop a cannibalistic village after almost ending up as their dinner." Harry told him after a short staring match. "I think I have the right to get pissed tonight."

"Not by yourself you don't." Jack's all too familiar voice called out from behind him just before he sat down on the seat next to him. "Two more pints and a whiskey."

This time Ed didn't protest, instead he put a large glass of whiskey in front of Harry. "On the house." And left them be.

When Harry woke up the next morning he wasn't surprised to find that he wasn't alone. Fast asleep next to him was a very naked Jack Harkness. Shit. He almost wished Jack would have left some time during the night so that they could avoid the awkward "the day after" moments. Normally Harry wouldn't have a problem with them, but Jack was his boss. He would have preferred it if they could just pretend it hadn't happen.

Forcing himself to get out of bed and Harry started making coffee. He wasn't usually a coffee person but even immortality had made him immune to hangovers and flobberworm mucus wasn't exactly easy to get ahold of in this universe so a hangover potion wasn't really an option. Coffee would just have to do.

By the time Jack woke up Harry had cooked a complete breakfast with sausages, eggs, beans, spinach and toast causing Jack to raise an eyebrow when he saw it.

"Didn't know you were so domestic." He grinned.

"Hangover." Harry muttered, he really didn't feel the need to be social or even polite. He felt like shit. "Eat and be quiet or get out." Jack took a seat. He looked perfectly at ease, neither offended nor awkward. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

It seemed one night had been all I had taken Jack to find Harry's weak spots and despite Harry's earlier concerns it hadn't taken much for Jack to get him back to bed again, metaphorically speaking. They hadn't made it quite that far when Jack showed up on his doorstep two nights later or the night after or even the night after that.

But apart from those visits nothing else had changed between the two. Not that Harry was complaining, her preferred it that way. Sex was the prefect release. He had used it before to cure boredom or guilt, but it worked just as well to forget the world around him for a few hours and that was something they could both do with every now and again.

**TBC…**

_First of all I have a confession to make; I'm a review junkie, when I don't get reviews I don't feel as inspired to write so you have to give me my fix if you want new chapters! I'm not a recovering junkie, I'm a stone cold junkie and I am not planning to change anytime soon!_

_Second, In the chapter after the next one I am considering to have Harry go back to his universe for a chapter or two to get something. Now…should Jack go with him or not? I can't decide since I see ups and downs both ways… what do you guys think?_


	12. They Keep Killing Suzie I

_Concerning Harry/Jack__: Okay, first of all, Jack and Harry isn't a couple, at least not yet. They are friends with benefits. Also I feel that I should warn you after I read some of your reviews, I don't write romance. This is not a romance story. The romance is secondary, and I won't be writing romantic dates or anything like that. I will put some romance where I feel it fits, and it will not be a lot. Sorry, but I'm not good at writing romance, I always think it seems fake when I write it... but there will be a romantic undertone I guess you could say…. It's hard to explain you will just have to read and see. Hopefully you will like it. _

**Chapter ELEVEN**

Three deaths and one word written in blood that was it had taken for the resurrection glove to be brought out from storage. After Torchwood had been called to a double homicide scene earlier that day guilt had started eating away at the team. The victims at the different murder scenes seemed to be perfectly random with nothing connecting them except one word; Torchwood. It had been written on the wall of the scene earlier that day as well at one the day before. Both times it had been written in the victims' own blood, yet there seemed there was nothing to connect them to the organisation. At least not until an analysis of the killer's hair had showed traces of compound B67, better known as retcon.

Retcom was used in Jack's special little amnesia pills, which they tended to give to undesired witnesses to alien events. After that it hadn't taken long for the idea of using the resurrection glove on the victims to surface. The killer needed to be found, his connection to Torchwood needed to be identified and what involvement the retcon had had on the killer's state of mind had to be determined. After all there were over 2000 people walking around Cardiff that had been given the pill one time or another. While Harry's concerns and protests hadn't gone unnoticed or ignored they hadn't swayed Jack's decision. Harry however refused to have any part of it; he wouldn't go near the glove.

As the team stood surrounding the first victim, Tosh with her hand in the glove, Harry stood watching them from catwalk. His expression was that of an exasperated parent who had tried but failed to convince his son that it wasn't nice to take the neighbour's ball just because she wouldn't let him play with it. Then again that would probably have been easier than convince Jack that the glove was made of addictive and dangerous dark magic, worse still they didn't know what it was created for.

Harry hadn't actually seen the glove at work before and couldn't help but jerk in surprise when the corpse suddenly jumped to life, yelling. He didn't seem to remember dying, instead he sounded as if he thought the murder was still going on. Was that what happened when you died? You kept reliving your last moments? Harry found the thought more frightening than words could say. He pitied the man, he seemed absolutely terrified and was nothing like the ghost of his parents and Remus that he had seen when he used the resurrection stone. The thought caught him by surprise, he hadn't thought of the stone in years, the last deathly hallow. The one he had let drop in the forbidden forest.

Without waiting for the man to return to the realm of the dead Harry left the autopsy room and headed back to his desk and started searching the Torchwood database for anything related to rifts opening and closing between different universes. To be honest there was less to find than he had expected, Harry knew more. But one line caught his eye; 'the rift appears to close and open simultaneously on both sides of the rift'. If this was true the rift should still be active in that London basement, if he could go through it…

"Harry!" Jack's voice interrupted his musing. "Conference room, now."

Reluctantly Harry left the his desk and headed up the stairs only to find the rest of the team already there while Tosh started handing out papers. Jack looked up when he saw him enter. "Good, we are all here. The killer's name is Max, surname is still unknown. He is a member of a religious organisation named Pilgrim and appear to have a connection with Suzie."

"Costello?" Harry asked, immediately taking the same jump as the rest had.

"We don't know for sure. But that is our best guess." Jack said. "Tosh?"

"Right." She said, handing Harry a piece of paper before she took over. "Pilgrim, a religious support group, more like a debating society; the meaning of life', 'does God exist' and all that stuff. The point is it was tiny, more like a hobby run by Mark Brisco's wife Sarah. Our third victim. She had all that" she said looking at the papers "stanched in her wardrobe. Handwritten and photocopied, it's why we couldn't find any records online."

"No mention of Suzie or Max?" Jack asked.

"Not a word. She didn't even keep a register."

"Wouldn't be our Suzie though." Owen said, though his tone lacked conviction. "She wouldn't go to a support group."

"How would you know?" Harry couldn't help but ask. "You didn't even notice the glove changing her."

"There is no proof that was the glove's doing." Jack disagreed.

"Then why did you lock it away? Or hesitate to use it again?"

"Power corrupts." Jack said easily. "But you're right. It's time we got to know our deceased colleague a little better."

"I have another idea. I know where this is going to lead and if you give me a day I will find a way around using the glove on her."

"And how are you planning to do that?"

"Try to go home." He said, causing Jack to tense up briefly before he turned to the rest of the team.

"I want all of you to go to Suzie's storage unit and look though her stuff. Look for anything that could connect her to this case. Harry, a word." He finished of, heading out the door without a backwards glance.

Ignoring the curious looks from his colleagues Harry followed Jack up to his office.

"How?" Jack asked as soon as Harry entered. "How do you plan to go to an alternate universe and back? Do you know how many universes there are? How dangerous it is? How are you even planning on finding a universal rift?"

"Magic is keeping the one I went through open in my universe, and according to the Torchwood database the rift opens and closes at the same time on both side. That means the rift should still be open on this side, and on the same spot. I can find it."

"That is a theory, nothing more. We don't know for sure where you would end up? We have looked everywhere for your godfather and nothing. For all we know he could be in another universe and that's where you could end up."

"If I can stop you from using that glove again it's worth the risk." Harry told him.

"And how exactly are you going to do that? What could you possibly have on that side that could do the same but without the same risks? Jack demanded angrily.

"Not the same thing, but there is something that allows me to talk with the dead without bringing them back to life. I left it there so that I wouldn't go insane talking to my dead friends and parents, but at least this way no one else will get hurt."

"You have used this thing before? You know it works?" Jack asked.

"Yes." He said calmly. "It works."

"Fine." Jack agreed after a second's contemplation. "But I will go with you."

"What?" Harry nearly yelled in surprise. "That's insane!"

"It could be dangerous, you are not leaving without me."

"What about the rest of the team? What would they do without you?"

"We have a better chance at finding a way back if we go together. You are on my team; you are my responsibility." Harry didn't know what to say, he only stared at Jack with an unreadable expression before he nodded. "Good, now how do we get there?"

"First we go to London."

"Fine, I will tell the others to hold of on using the glove for the next 48 hours. Will that be enough time?"

"We won't even need that much time. I have a time-turner. 24 should be enough"

"A what?"

"My version of a time vortex. Considering we will be in another universe I don't think we need to worry about paradoxes when we get back. But we will need a ladder or two."

"A ladder?" Jack echoed disbelievingly. "That's all we are going to need to go to an alternate universe?"

"The rift isn't on the ground, in my world the archway is on a sort of dais. There isn't one here because there was never any archway built so it should still be hanging in the air." Jack didn't comment this time only gave him a disbelieving look before shaking a head.

"Guess we are bringing a ladder."

Three hours later Harry stepped into the same empty basement he had seen when he first arrived in this world. It looked the same, just as empty as it had been then. It was odd being back, when he hadn't seen the archway on his arrival he had assumed it was a one-way trip. He hadn't even considered returning to the spot again or to look for a rift. Not until a couple of hours ago at least.

As Harry looked around the room Jack didn't look impressed, though he seemed to comprehend the importance of the room.

"Could you check the readings? I don't know exactly where it should be. I just remember falling and this room looks nothing like the Death Chamber."

"Death Chamber?" Jack echoed, as he looked down at his wristband. "Charming name."

"Just wait until you see the rest of the Department of Mystery and the Wizarding world." Harry said with a smile. He wondered if Jack would stick to his stance on magic after this trip or if he would finally believe in real magic.

"Up there, right above me." Jack suddenly called out a few feet away from him, "Bring the ladders."

When the ladders were put up Harry was torn. He didn't know what to feel or even how as he began to climb up, Jack right next to him. As he was about to reach out for Jack's hand, as they had agreed in the car, he stopped. They had agreed that no matter what they couldn't let go of each other as soon as they reached the rift, but Harry felt he should give him one last chance to back out.

"Are you sure you want to go through?" Harry asked again, already knowing the answer.

"I never say no to a little adventure, just ask the doctor." He said with a brazen grin, gripping Harry firmly. "And now we jump?" he asked before looking back down. "If this doesn't work it's a good thing neither of us can die or the fall might kill us."

"I wouldn't die that easily. Break a few bones, maybe." Harry grinned. "Let's go."

Harry had expected it to feel like falling when he stepped of the ladder with Jack, instead it felt like he was walking on solid ground and for the first time he saw Jack look completely lost, with each step he took he felt for ground before he allowed his weight to rest on the leg, his grip on Harry's hand was enough to make him wince in pain. But he didn't try to get him to ease his grip, instead he was bracing himself for the pain he felt when he walked through the rift the first time, for the ripping pain as the dead souls tried to rip him into pieces. Jack too seemed to be prepared for it, waiting for it, and just as Harry was beginning to consider the possibility that they may not care about them since they were heading the other way that familiar pain began. It was even worse than he remembered it and one glance at Jack told him that the man was going through the same agonising pain as he was, yet he too did his best to keep walking, keep moving until they saw the end of what seemed like an never ending tunnel of darkness and soon Harry could see the familiar walls of the Department of Mystery in the distance.

_**TBC…**_

_I'm beginning to feel a little mean since my chapters seem to get shorter.  
>I will try to write a longer next time! <em>

_AND __**THANK YOU**__ FOR ALL THE REVIEWS ON THE LAST CHAPTER! You are all enabling my addiction. Thank you. =P_


	13. They Keep Killing Suzie II

**Chapter TWELVE**

The Death Chamber was dimly lit and rectangular, and the centre of it was sunken, forming a great stone pit some twenty feet below floor level. Stone benches were running all around the room and descending in steep steps like an amphitheatre, and there was a raised stone dais in the centre of the lowered floor, and upon this dais stood a stone archway that looked so ancient, cracked, and crumbling that it was amazing the thing was still standing. Unsupported by any surrounding wall, the archway was hung with a tattered black curtain or veil which, despite the complete stillness of the cold surrounding air, was fluttering very slightly as though it had just been touched. And there, right next to it stood Harry and Jack trying to catch their breaths while taking in the room. Harry with a small smile on his lips, he was home, and Jack with awe; he had never seen anything quite like it.

"Guess we aren't in the cellar anymore." Jack mumbled and his words seemed to have been the equivalent of pushing an on button on Harry.

"We have to go before they notice we are here. No matter what just follow my lead." Harry ordered, already running up the long staircase to the top. Jack followed. Reaching the exit Harry pushed the door and it swung open to another room. This room was circular and the walls were lined with twelve identical plain, black, handle-less doors. The floor was polished so thoroughly that it looked like they were standing on water and the only source of light were the dimly lit candles in the ancient-looking chandelier in the centre of the room, burning blue.

Harry didn't spare the room as much as a glance as he rushed through it, Jack on the other hand tried to take it all in while at the same time trying to keep up with Harry as he rushed towards one of the doors. He seemed certain of which door he was going for even when the walls began revolving rapidly as soon as the door to the Death Chamber closed behind them.

After stepping through the new door they ended up in a long hallway with torches lighting the way to an old lift. Harry press the button next to the elevator door when they reached it, but he was completely quiet and Jack could tell from his stance that he was far from relaxed; they weren't out of danger yet.

What awaited Jack next was the strangest lift ride of his life, and that was saying something after 200+ years of life and travelling the universe with a space and time travelling alien. This lift of going straight up or down and in every possible direction in a speed that kept throwing Jack from one side to the other while Harry watched him with a small smile.

"I'd say our lift is more special than yours." Harry said with a smug grin after a while, remembering the pride Jack took in their 'scenic lift' in the hub. Jack only glared. Then when they stopped at level 5 several paper airplanes swooped into the lift, but thankfully no people. Jack stared up at them as they flapped idly around above his head; they were a pale violet color and he could see ministry of magic stamped along the edges of their wings.

"Just Interdepartmental memos," Harry told him with a smile, deciding to use Mr Weasley's exact words he added "We used to use owls, but the mess was unbelievable . . . droppings all over the desks . . ." Jack blinked in disbelief and then they were off again; up, down, right, left, up and then finally the next stop was their stop; level eight.

They stepped out into one end of a very long and splendid hall with a highly polished, dark wood floor. The peacock-blue ceiling was inlaid with gleaming golden symbols that were continually moving and changing like some enormous heavenly notice board. Halfway down the hall was a fountain. A group of golden statues, larger than life-size, stood in the middle of a circular pool. Tallest of them all was a noble-looking wizard with his wand pointing straight up in the air. Grouped around him were a beautiful witch, a centaur, a goblin, and a house-elf. The last three were all looking adoringly up at the witch and wizard. Glittering jets of water were flying from the ends of the two wands, the point of the centaur's arrow, the tip of the goblin's hat, and each of the house-elf's ears, so that the tinkling hiss of falling water was added to the pops and cracks of Apparators and the clatter of footsteps as hundreds of witches and wizards that moved around the area. Jack was doing his best to keep his face neutral but every now and then Harry caught a glimpse of disbelief or awe when he glanced his way. Not that he or Jack said as much as a word.

After a while they reached an area where the walls on each side were panelled in shiny dark wood and had many gilded fireplaces set into them. Every few seconds a witch or wizard would emerge from one of the left-hand fireplaces with a soft _whoosh_; on the right-hand side, short queues of wizards were forming before each fireplace, waiting to depart. Harry stopped at the end of one of the queues. After that it didn't take long for the whispers to begin.

'Harry Potter' 'Is that Harry Potter?' 'That is Harry Potter!' and soon the whispers were exchanged for near yelling. Harry Potter was back in the wizarding world and Jack could only stare in disbelief as Harry did his best to ignore them. Then came perhaps one of the only men in the entire ministry that Harry couldn't ignore. Kingsley Shacklebolt, the minister of magic himself.

"Harry!" He greeted happily and Harry forced a smile.

"Kingsley." He greeted.

"Where have you been? People have been trying to reach you for over a year! It was like you disappeared from the face of the earth!" He said, but Harry was happy to note that there wasn't any accusation in his tone or demeanour. He looked genuinely happy to see him. "And who is your friend?" He asked, noticing Jack to Harry's left.

"Sorry, this is Captain Jack Harkness. Jack, this is Kingsley Shacklebolt, the minister of Magic, our PM."

"A muggle?" Kingsley asked. " That's where you've been hiding then? The muggle world? Here to register a partnership perhaps?" He added glancing between the two.

"Nothing like that." Harry assured him and he noticed the woman to the minister's right smile relieved. Harry immediately recognized her. "Hello Susan." He said with a smile, he hadn't seen her since he left Hogwarts.

"Hi Harry." She said shyly, a far throw from her aunt Amelia Bones.

"Right, you two would have been in the same year." Kingsley remembered. "Well, I have a meeting with the in-term head of auror department. You are welcome to come if you'd like."

"Sorry, I have a lot to do today." He declined, and something about his demeanour must have tipped the ex-auror off because in a second his expression went from friendly to suspicious, to concerned and back to friendly again.

"Then I hope to see you soon again. You know I have a job waiting for you whenever you want it."

"Thanks." He said with a smile.

"And drop by Arthur and Molly would you? They miss you." Harry just smiled and they both knew that he wouldn't. Never the less Kingsley returned the smile. "It was good to see you again, Harry. You too Captain." And with that he was off, leaving Harry with an audience as they waited for the next available fireplace.

Harry saw Jack's eyes widen at the sight of the wizard standing in front of them in the queue take a pinch of glittering powder out of a pot next to the fireplace, stepped up to the fire, and threw the powder into the flames. Then with a roar, the fire turned emerald green and rose higher than the unnamed wizard, who stepped right into it, shouted, "Tooken manor!" and vanished.

"You must speak clearly." Harry warned him. "Or else you don't know where you'll end up. Just throw the powder on the flame, go inside and say 'Hogsmeade Station.' And I will go in right after you."

"Right." Jack agreed uncertainly. "It's like a form of teleportation?"

"More like a controlled space rift." Harry said after a second of consideration. "But it's really magic." He added with a grin, that didn't seem to give the other man any comfort. Quite the opposite, but he did as told.

Jack thought it felt as though he was being sucked down a giant drain. He seemed to be spinning very fast — the roaring in his ears was deafening — he tried to keep his eyes open but the whirl of green flames made him feel sick —something hard knocked his elbow and he tucked it in tightly, still spinning and spinning — now it felt as though cold hands were slapping his face — he saw a blurred stream of fireplaces and snatched glimpses of the rooms beyond, it was making him dizzy, he closed his eyes again wishing it would stop, and then he was outside again, on the floor in front of a large fireplace in what looked lite a countryside train station and a second later Harry calmly stepped out of the same fireplace that had all but thrown him out seconds before.

"It takes some practice." Harry told him simply when Jack looked at him with raised eyebrows. "You did better than me, first time I ended up in the wrong fireplace. Come on, we have to go to the forbidden forest."

When Harry caught sight of the old castle he couldn't help but smile a little. He had missed it more than he thought he had, this was home. Not his London flat, not the Potter manor and not Cardiff. This here, this old castle, was his home. He was just about to point it out to Jack when he suddenly remembered something Hermione had told him long ago and turned apologetically to Jack.

"Sorry, it's a muggle repellent charm. Just ignore it." Harry told him. "You haven't forgotten anything, and you don't have anywhere else to go." Harry didn't know how to explain it so instead he pointed at Hogwarts "And those ruins you see over there? They aren't a really ruin, that's my old school. It's charmed so muggles can't see it and don't want to go near it. It would have been the same with Hogsmeade if we hadn't used the floo network to get there. I suppose it's similar to a perception filter, only stronger. But I promise it's just a little farther then the influence should start easing up."

Jack nodded and looked up at Hogwarts with interest before looking back at Harry.

"How does it work?"

"Don't know to be honest." Harry shrugged. "Never given it much thought. It just does, it's kept Hogwarts hidden from muggles for over a millennium."

"A millennium?" Jack said in disbelief. "What's powering it?"

"Hogwarts itself." Harry said as if it was obvious. "No one has been able to build anything quite like her since… don't know how they did it. It's magic."

"And you just accept that?"

"It's Hogwarts." Harry said as they reached the edge of the forest. He stopped and looked over at his sceptical companion. "You don't understand what Hogwarts is. She is magic, she is home. She is sentient. During the war the castle itself rose to protect herself and the students. She can manipulate and move rooms after the students' needs. There is no other place like it. It's magic."

"Just because you haven't seen something like it doesn't mean I haven't or that it doesn't exist." Jack said. "It's not magic. Magic is an excuse to explain things you don't know how to explain, but everything can be explained."

"Fine." Harry said. "I'm not going to try and convince you. Just stay close to me and don't shoot anything unless I tell you to or you might get us killed."

**TBC…**

_So, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I know I took a lot directly from J.K. but seriously, how could I not? I wouldn't have been able to make the department of mystery or the ministry itself justice using just my own words. No one brings out the world of Harry Potter better than her so why not use her brilliance? =) Next chapter will be all me though, promise =)_


	14. They Keep Killing Suzie III

_Sorry, I just saw that I accidently deleted this chapter… must have been about an hour after I posted it when I changed the chapter title. Sorry. But now it's up again..._

**Chapter THIRTEEN**

Harry wasn't sure how but he remembered the exact path he had gone all those years ago when he went walked towards his own execution. He could almost see Ginny kneeling beside an injured girl as he walked passed her on his way out of the castle. He remembered Hagrid's dark and silent hut before he had reached the edge of the forest, the exact spot he was now standing on with Jack. Back then he had been alone, ready to meet his death, and their had been a swarm of dementors gliding amongst the trees. They weren't there now; they weren't even guarding the wizarding prison anymore. He remembered fumbling with the snitch before he had figured out the riddle and pressed his lips against it. He remembered the metal shell break and the small black stone that had been hidden within.

Harry glanced over at Jack, again the man seemed to understand the pain he was going through, the weight of the situation, without really knowing a thing. Back then he had been accompanied by ghosts, now he had flesh and blood by his side. He smiled at him, but neither said a word as Harry began to lead them deeper into the forest.

As they walked Harry remembered the words spoken by Remus and his parents as they walked with him, their promises and how proud they had been. He knew the exact spot he had been heard by Yaxley and Dolohov. He could almost see Voldemort and the Death Eaters when they reached the clearing and nearly jumped as he heard the sound of Jack's breathing just behind him, so lost in his old memory was he that he had completely forgotten about him.

"This is where I found out I couldn't die." Harry told him, forcing a smile. He pointed to a spot in the centre of the clearing. "That's where I waited for him to kill me. And this" He pointed to a spot no more than two or three feet away from him "is where I dropped the resurrection stone." He walked over and kneeled down, feeling the ground until he felt the familiar jagged edges of the stone against his fingers and picked it up. "And this is the stone. I will explain what it does when we get back to the hub. Now I just want to get out of here."

As soon as they reached the end of the anti-apparation ward Harry told Jack to grab hold of his arm and hold on as if his life depended on it. He had and seconds later they were standing in the apparition area of St. Mungo's. To be honest the inside of the hospital didn't look too different from the one he went to with Mary, although the illnesses and injuries the witches and wizards in there sported were more notable. A muggle, for example, wouldn't calmly be sitting in the waiting room with his severed arm across his lap or with a bird leg sticking out from underneath her robe instead of a human leg. Strangely enough Jack didn't even seem surprised or intrigued by the odd cases in front of him, instead he looked expectantly at Harry.

"I couldn't come to this world without seeing my best friend." He explained as he led them through the waiting room and towards the lift onto the fourth floor and the long-term residents' ward. He knew Ron really shouldn't be there but in an mental hospital but being a war hero had given him some special treatment and in Harry's opinion that was perhaps the only good thing his, Ron's and Hermione's fame had gotten them.

When he walked into Ron's room he distantly registered that Jack stopped and waited in the door rather then go inside as Harry fell on his knees in front of Ron's unresponsive body. He briefly wondered who had moved him to the armchair but didn't give it much thought as he stared at the shell of his friend. His eyes might as well have been made of glass from the life he saw within then. He forced a smile

"How are you, mate?" he asked. "You wouldn't believe the things I have seen and done since I last was here. I went to a different universe; can you believe it? Just like I told you I would. Even fought an alien or two." Nothing, as expected, but Harry continued talking anyway. "Right, you wouldn't know what that is. It's a muggle thing, I guess. Aliens are other life forms from other planets. I don't know if they exist in this universe, but I can't see why they wouldn't… like humans some are good and some not so good. Never actually met a good one, but I have been told they exist. One even saved the world a few times, I'm told." Harry took a second to think up something else to say. "Right, I quit the auror department before I went universe jumping, am working for an alien hunting organisation in the other universe now."

"Who are you?" An all to familiar sharp voice yelled from just outside the door and he saw Jack turn to look at whoever had yelled at him. Harry stood up too and walked over to them. There, glaring at Jack, was Ron's baby sister.

"Hello Ginny." Harry greeted and he wasn't the least bit surprise to see her drop her bag before she threw herself at him, her arms holding him around the neck in an iron grip.

"Harry." She whispered into his shoulder and he was surprised to find her stomach flat and not swollen with a baby inside. When she finally let go and looked at him she had tears in her eyes. "You are really here." She smiled. "You're back." She added and Harry didn't have the heart to tell her he was leaving again although he knew he should.

"How are you Ginny?" He asked, carefully. "Last I heard you were pregnant."

"I lost her." She said with a quivering voice. "Not even something climactic, it happens." She added putting on a brave face. "I think Dean was relieved actually. You wouldn't have been, would you?" She asked.

"Ginny." Harry said with a mix of pity and warning. She didn't back off.

"We belong together Harry. You know we do. You went through a tough time after the war, we all dealt with it differently. But we need to move on with our lives. Ron would have liked us together. Fred too."

"Ron isn't dead." Harry said firmly. He didn't like it when Ron and Fred were clumped together.

"I know, that's not what I meant. Harry, we could be happy together. I know you love me too."

"Maybe if Ron and Hermione… maybe things could have been different but I don't see you that way and Dean does. He isn't relieved, I know him. He wouldn't be, he loves you." Harry told her… he really did love her too, just not the way she wanted him to. He still found her pretty, beautiful even, but she reminded him too much of Ron, of how he failed him and Hermione. "You are like a sister to me." She ignored him and pressed her lip against his. He let her, he didn't move a muscle until she let go and took a step back. "I have to go."

"You are not leaving again, are you?" She asked, frightened. "I won't do it again. I promise. Just don't leave."

"Go talk to Dean and give your family my love." He said before he left the room, Jack falling into step next to him while Ginny watched them go. He ignored her calls behind them as they walked.

As they left the hospital Harry looked down at his watch, there was still time. Jumping into a taxi Harry quickly pulled Jack into the Leaky Cauldron and through the passage into Diagon Alley.

As they stepped through the archway Harry was a little disappointed to find no awe on Jack's face, only a mild interest as he looked around. Though he did seem amused as he looked at the name signs of some of the shops.

"You weren't kidding about the owls, were you?" Jack suddenly asked and Harry saw him staring at the owl emporium.

"Muggles used doves once you know, owls can carry more and they always finds you. Much better than a postman, I guarantee it." Harry grinned at Jack's sceptical nod. The next stop made Jack stop short, the quidditch shop.

"Is that a broomstick?" He asked disbelievingly, as he stared at the window display and the children gawking at it as if it was a racecar.

"It's not a just some broomstick, it's a Firebolt racer." Harry said as he stared at it in awe. "It was just a rumour when I left, seems they finally released it… it's supposed be three times as fast as the Nimbus 5000."

"You're talking broom models?" Jack asked uncertainly.

"They fly." Harry said, amused by his tone, as he looked up at him. "We use them for all sorts of things, but mainly quidditch."

"Qudditch?" He echoed.

"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like — like football in the Muggle world — everyone follows Quidditch — played up in the air on broomsticks and there're four balls — sort of hard to explain the rules. Best sport there is though. I used to play seeker for my house team at school"

"And you play sports on broomsticks. You really took the witch thing to heart." Jack commented.

"We are witches and wizards. Magic is real." Harry responded already knowing Jack would ignore him. He was right. Instead Jack's eyes were drawn to a snowy-white marble building towering over the shops with the words; Gringotts Wizarding Bank' written above the entrance. He also noticed creatures by the doors didn't look too pleased when Harry decided to led him through the bronze and silver doors into the building.

"What did you do to them?" He asked Harry, he seemed amused by the frosty reception.

"Broke into someone's vault during the war, stole their dragon and used it to escape; smashing everything into ruins." Harry said. "Can't say I blame them."

"And we are here because?"

"Figured I might as well get some extra gold when I'm here. You actually get more for it in your world than here." For some reason Harry's words made Jack tense, but he didn't say anything and Harry didn't comment.

After pouring some gold unto his pocket Harry noticed Jack looking at him with interest "It's bigger on the inside and it's charmed, doesn't weigh a thing. See?" He added, allowing Jack to stick his entire arm in and still not reach a thing inside. "You have to think about what you want when you put your hands in or you won't reach anything, at least not what you're looking for." Next time he pulled his arm out he held a few gold gallons in his hand and grinned.

"HA! Wait until the doctor sees this." He grinned widely. "Time lord technology used and invented by humans. Fantastic!" Harry just shook his head and led them out of the vault and into the small carriage waiting for them outside.

When they stepped out of the bank Harry looked o his right and into a dodgy looking alley with an uncertain expression before he turned and walked into it. Unlike the previous alley that had been bursting with life and bright colours this one was dark. Instead of broomsticks, winking manikins and moving floor lamps in the window displays Jack saw shrunken heads, skeleton hands and weapons.

Harry ignored it all as he headed straight for a specific shop just next to a shop sporting hissing snakes in the window. The inside was dusty and full of spider webs, but Harry didn't spare the room as much as a glance as he headed up to the clerk.

"I need information on the glove of life." Harry said coldly to the man, not even greeting him first.

"Harry Potter." The man's voice had a hissing quality to it that would make a lesser man shiver. "Rumour had it that you had went to the land of the dead."

"As you can see the rumours have been exaggerated."

"I see." He said with a wide grin, displaying his blackened teeth. "It will cost you."

"Doesn't it always?" He asked dully. "What do you have?"

"A book." He replied. "But the glove has been lost for decades, have you found it? I have a buyer who would pay a small fortune for it…"

"I don't deal dark artefacts, you know that."

"Always the hero." He said distastefully. "Well not always, I heard you took a tour of the dark side down in the east a few years ago, Hadrian Blackwood. If you change your mind you know where to find me." Again Harry didn't comment and the man seemed to give up. "Wait here."

A minute later the man returned with a small, ancient looking, black book and but it on the counter. "Romanian." The man said when he saw Harry trying to read the cover. "You will have to find a translator… I could help you there…"

"I got it." Harry said. "How much?"

"163 gallons for our hero. Business wasn't going as well as one would think during the war. They just came and took what they wanted, never paid a sickle."

Harry didn't say a word, just put the money on the counter and all but threw the book at Jack as they left the shop. "For you."

"What is it?"

"A book about the resurrection glove. Hopefully it will stop you from even consider using it again. Now, I'm starving."

**TBC…**

_I'm actually really happy with this chapter, what did you think? I know Jack doesn't say too much but this isn't about making him believe in magic. It's about showing him a little bit more what Harry's life was like before he went through the rift/veil._


	15. They Keep Killing Suzie IV

**Chapter FOURTEEN**

Harry's attempt to steer Jack towards food had failed miserably. After throwing the book at him, claiming it would explain the inner workings of the resurrection glove, Jack had accused Harry of knowing what the glove was and how it worked from the very start. He even went as far as accusing Harry of being indirectly responsible for Suzie's death, though not in those words. Harry wasn't sure if the book was the real reason behind Jack's sudden accusations or if seeing Harry's world had been too much for him to handle. Come to think about it Harry thought he handled it all a little too well. Either way Harry had enough.

"I didn't know, alright! And you were using that thing long before I came along! When you first told me what the glove could do I thought it sounded familiar. I remembered having read about a similar artefact in my world. But the thought that it could be the same didn't hit me until I saw the entrance to Knockturn Alley today. Then it suddenly became clear to me that it had to be. If we could travel through the universes as easily as we had, why wouldn't the glove? It should be even easier. Of course I could still be wrong. But no, I didn't know. Now, can we please eat?"

After that they had shared a slightly awkward meal as they waited for the Ministry to close for the day before sneaking back inside, down to the department of Mystery and through the veil.

It was with a loud thump the two of them landed on the floor in the other universe, the ladders next to them.

"Och!" Harry said as he rose to his feet and stretched, he wouldn't be surprised if he broken something in the fall.

"At least you had a pillow." Jack offered as he too stood up. He didn't seem hurt at all. In fact he just seemed relieved to be back.

"I wouldn't call you a pillow, it was like falling on a rock."

"It's all muscle. You would know." He winked.

"We need to get back to Cardiff and my flat." Harry said, completely ignoring his comment. To be honest he wasn't sure it was a good thing to show Jack the time turner at the moment but he figured the man was already more than used to time travel and knew the rules.

They had been gone little more than 33 hours according to Harry's watch, which didn't make any sense. They had left in the evening, arrived there in the morning, then left it the evening and returned in the morning. Okay, so technically it made sense, but it didn't feel like more than a day had passed, surely they couldn't have spent hours walking between the universes; it hadn't felt like more than minutes… Harry shook his head; he really didn't know what to think. Either way they needed to get back. Jack didn't seem to have a problem believing it.

Three hours and thirty-five minutes later they were both standing in Harry's flat and for once they weren't taking each other's cloths off. Instead Harry walked over to the wall, stopped in front of it and drew his wand, a few seconds later another door appeared out of nowhere. Without even glancing back at Jack Harry stepped inside and returned with a tiny sparkling hourglass with a long, thin, golden chain attached to it a couple of seconds later. And as the door closed behind him, it disappeared leaving nothing but a plain white wall. It was as if it had never been there. Jack couldn't resist the urge to walk over and place it hand where the door have been, nothing, he even tried knocking where he thought it should be and the wall beside it, but the sound that came was identical.

"How?" He asked, looking up at Harry but Harry didn't feel like explaining. He wouldn't believe him anyway so instead he just walked over to him and threw the chain over the two of them before turning the hourglass over 24 times.

Then the apartment dissolved. Jack had the sensation that he was flying, very fast, backwards. A blur of colours and shapes rushed past him; his ears were pounding. And then he felt solid ground beneath his feet, and everything came into focus again.

He was standing next to Harry bathing in the morning sunlight that was seeping through the window. He looked wildly around at Harry, the chain of the hourglass cutting into his neck before he made his way to the window. Instead of the cloudy morning sky that had been there a few seconds ago he was staring out at the clear blue sky of the day before as he looked out.

"Sorry." Harry said. "It can only go back 24 hours, I can't bring us to when we left for London, that would be what? 40 hours?" Jack only grinned.

"Never thought I would time travel again. I guess we better get to the hub."

When they reached it Jack was non-too-pleased to find that the rest of the team already brought out Suzie's body from the morgue.

"I thought I said 24 hours." Jack told them.

"Yeah, well you weren't here and we couldn't reach you." Owen said after an awkward moment of silence. "He was talking about our Suzie. We found a pilgrim flyer in her storage unit yesterday."

"We were just waiting for you to get in, sir. We were just preparing so we could get started as soon as possible, before someone else gets killed." Ianto added.

"First we are going to try something else." Jack informed them before looking over at Harry, waiting for him to put the stone to use. He still wasn't sure how it worked.

Harry hadn't thought this far when he had come up with the idea, no one but him would see Suzie's ghost. Why would they believe him? How would he prove that he was talking to Suzie? Then he remembered something Hermione had told him about ghosts back in his second year after Sir Nicholas's death party. Even though ghost couldn't be seen by most muggles, they did cause electrical disturbances and could be captured as blurs or orbs on film because of it, if the muggles used the right cameras. Hopefully the same would happen if he called on Suzie's spirit.

"You better film it with an infrared camera, you won't see anything with the naked eye."

"What? You're gonna talk to ghosts?" Owen asked, rolling his eyes.

"Something like that." Harry said calmly. Owen rolled his eyes but Tosh only told him to go down to the autopsy area where they had better cameras.

It was an odd standing next to Suzie's body preparing to summon her ghost. He briefly thought of his parents, of Hermione, and how nice it would be to call them instead, to talk to them, to see them. He pushed the thought away. That was exactly why he had left it in the forest. He focused on Suzie instead, remembering her face, her voice, her being. Then he grabbed the stone in his pocket and waited. He didn't have to wait long; unlike last time he wasn't looking away when she appeared. One second she wasn't there, then she was. She was neither ghost nor flesh, she looked nearly solid but he knew she wasn't. She was less substantial than a living person, but much more than a ghost. She looked younger than she had when he met her, her hair was full and shiny. She looked happy.

"Harry, how am I here?" She asked, looking around. "Is that me?" Harry nodded.

"You killed yourself." He said.

"Yes…" She sounded thoughtful. "I remember… "

"I need to ask you something about Pilgrim. Max is killing them off, we need names and details to save them."

"Max?"

"Yes, you were giving him amnesia pills. We think it had a bad effect on him."

"I don't remember." She said. "I think I need to be connected with my mind. You should use the glove."

"We are not going to." Harry told her. "And that's not how it works. I know you remember."

"I don't." She denied. "I really don't."

"We can't bring you back with the glove. It's been too long. We tried." He lied, she was too connected to the glove as it was.

"How long?"

"Three months. Now, we need to find him, Suzie. Tell me who he is. What's his name?"

"He never told me." She finally admitted. "I just needed someone to listen, to talk to about this place. He was a good listener. But I couldn't let him remember."

"So you gave him the pills, for how long?"

"One every week for two years."

"You didn't consider what affect that would have on him?" Harry demanded angrily, remembering the effect the memory charms could have. "The human mind is not a toy, you don't play with it."

"What about my mind? I was going mad! If I didn't talk to someone I would end up in the nuthouse. I didn't think, I didn't know what it would do."

"Then help me save him from himself. Who will he go after next, any idea?"

"Who has he killed?

"Matt, Mark and Sarah."

"Lucy, he will go after Lucy. He is doing it in pecking order."

"Surname?"

"McKenzie. Lucy McKenzie."

"Where do I find her? Where do I find Lucy McKenzie" Harry added for the others' benefit.

"The Wolf, the wolf bar."

"The Wolf Bar?"

"Yes."

"Now, what can you tell me about Max? What does he look like?"

"You won't bring me back? I can't feel anything like this." She suddenly said.

"I'm sorry. It's not possible, but we'll let you go back soon."

"What if I don't want to? What if I want to stay here like this? I could help."

"You're dead, you don't belong here."

"Then why bring me here?"

"Because you need to fix what you broke. What does Max look like?"

"He's in his 40s, about 6'4. Stocky, with short dark hair, and a tattoo on his left arm. I don't remember of what."

"He's in his 40s, 6'4. Stocky, with short dark hair, and a tattoo on his left arm, got it. Thank you, is there anything else you want to tell me or want me to do before I let you leave?"

"Tell them I'm sorry? And tell Jack it's in the numbers." Harry nodded.

"Good bye." And with that he let go of the stone and she vanished just as quickly as she had come.

When he came back into the main area, Jack, Tosh, Ianto and Owen all stared at him in disbelief.

"How did you do that?" Tosh asked. "What did you do?"

"You have a resurrection glove, I have a stone."

"Why could only you hear her? All we got was static and an unidentified energy mass in front of you. Are you sure the thing you were talking to was Suzie?"

"Yes."

"And you can use that thing to talk to anyone?" Owen asked.

"Anyone dead, yes."

"Can anyone use it?"

"I don't know, I try not to use it. It will drive you mad talking to the dead because they aren't really there."

"I would love to do some tests." Tosh said. "May I?"

"Sure." He offered the stone to her readily. "Just be careful. Did you get anywhere on Lucy or Max?"

"We are going to pick up Lucy now. And we will go and keep watch over her bar tonight."

By nightfall Lucy was in protective custody and Max was locked into one of the Torchwood holding cells. Suzie had done a number on him, without her there, giving him his fix he had become a walking time bomb. Looking at him was like looking at Ron, there was nothing there. Nothing at all. He reacted to one thing and one thing alone, the word Torchwood. And while Owen was running tests on him, Tosh was focusing on the resurrection stone.

They had quickly learned that it only responded to Harry, everyone else had tried but failed to contact anyone. Afterwards Harry had been asked to contact the same people on their behalf to see if it was their choices or them that made the stone unresponsive.

Jack had picked a man from the obituary; Tosh had tried to contact her mother. Ianto had asked for an old colleague who had fallen victim during the Canary Warf incident, his mentor from Torchwood One. The most uncomfortable however had been Owen, he had asked for his dead fiancée. Watching Owen, acting as their interpreter, Harry became grateful the stone didn't work for the others or Owen would have allowed himself to be destroyed by the stone, just as death had intended it according to the story.

After a while Harry had enough, he hadn't slept in over 48 hours, they had caught Max, saved the girl and Harry was going home to sleep. At least that had been the plan until the hub went into total lock down.

15 minutes later they were all back in the main room, trying to figure out what had happened, how to reverse it. It wasn't until Jack went to check in on their prisoner that they got their first clue. Max was a verbal trigger, he had started this, which meant it was all Suzie's doing. When she was still alive she had installed a failsafe that would lock down the facility and Max had activated it for her. She had expected them to use the glove on her, not the stone. She had expected to come back to life and all this had been planned to bring her back and allow her to escape. Instead she was dead, three people had died for nothing and they, the Torchwood team, was locked in without a chance of getting out. With that sombre thought in mind Harry suddenly remembered her last words to him.

"It's in the numbers, Jack. That's what she said. She said she was sorry and that it was in the numbers. You knew which book Max was citing, right?"

"Emily Dickens."

"She had her complete works in the storage unit." Tosh was quick to add. "If we get the right numbers maybe we can reverse the lock down."

"Okay, so what did she mean by 'it's in the numbers'? The page number with this passage? The number of words? The number of letters?" Harry asked.

"First we need to get the damn book." Owen said, not sharing the enthusiasm. "and we are locked in here."

"I've got reception, sir." Ianto called from a few feet away.

"How?" Jack asked in disbelief running over to the Welshman. "We are sealed off."

"I used the water tower as a relay." He said, offering the phone to Jack, who gave an impressed smile as he accepted it and ran back to the others.

"But who the hell do we phone?" He asked, as he was about to press the buttons.

"Mary." Harry said after a second. "Ed gave her the book last Christmas. She's always intending to read it…"

After finally getting Mary on the phone it took them nearly an hour before getting the right numbers; the book's ISBN number. However as Harry was heading out he was stopped by Ianto.

"Before you leave, would you mind trying to contact someone else for me. Using the stone, I mean. I just want to know if you can reach her."

"You mean you mean you don't know if she is alive?"

"Please."

Two minutes later Harry is holding the stone, trying to call forth Ianto's Liza White. A second later the image of a familiar woman flashed in front of him, she wasn't as solid as usual, in fact he could barely see her, and when she tried to speak no sound came. But he recognised her. This was the woman he had seen Ianto visit in the hospital.

"Well?" Ianto asked. "Can you see her?"

"No." Harry said, not sure whether he was lying or not. He couldn't see her like he saw the others. "Who is she?"

"My girlfriend. She has been in a coma since Canary Warf and last week the doctors asked if I wanted to take her of life support. She doesn't have anyone but me. I'm listed as her next of kin so..."

"Only you can make that decision." Harry said. "You have to do what you think is right. Not even magic can tell you what the right thing to do is. Only you. And I'm sorry."

**TBC…**

_Okay, so the next 'episode' I'm going to write will be ' Jack Harkness', got any tips I should keep in mind? Any ideas? So far I only have the ending planned to be honest so I'm not sure if I will have the first chapter up tomorrow or now. We'll see =)_

_Also, PEOPLE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! I'm need my fix if I'm supposed to be able to write!_


	16. Captain Jack Harkness

**Chapter FIFTEEN**

"Seriously Jack, she is going to her grandfather's birthday party. I'll go with you, if it is something there we can call her later." Harry told him, taking pity on Tosh. "It's his 88th birthday, she just came by to pick something up. You already gave her the day off."

"Fine, go." He waved her off and she sent a thankful smile Harry's way before disappearing out the door.

"Good morning, Sir. Harry." Ianto greeted as he passed through the room.

"You could learn form him." Jack told Harry as Ianto left, surprising him by pulling him closer, their lips almost touching as he spoke next. "Show a little respect every now and then."

"Your ego is too big as it is. It's almost as if you are making up for something." Harry replied with an amused grin, pushing him away. "You were in a hurry just a minute ago. Let's go."

As they pulled up in front of the Ritz Dance Hall Harry smiled. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky… they didn't have weather like this often enough. It was hard to believe it was late October.

"So, why are we here again?" Harry asked as they walked inside the place.

"What? You tell me to let Tosh take off without even knowing why I needed her?" Harry just shrugged. "It's been closed since 1989, but someone has been complaining about hearing music drifting out. Music from the 1940s."

"That's hardly Torchwood worthy." Harry said surprised only to be shushed.

"Can you hear that?" Jack asked, already heading up the stairs towards the sound, leading them into a large ballroom.

"Wow, look at the chandelier." Jack commented, a smile on his lips. "No neon lights back then. Just dashing young soldiers and pretty young ladies." He continued, grabbing hold of Harry and pulling him into a dance to a tune only he could hear. "And as they danced the girls would look softly into their partners' eyes and say-" Harry pushed him away.

"I'm not a girl." Jack laughed.

"I'm sure that happened too, but I was thinking more along the lines of 'and how long before you head of to war'." He corrected, following Harry as he walked around the building. It wasn't until they were about to leave and write it of as nothing that they heard music coming from the main hall, making both of them practically run back to have a look.

What greeted them was the sight of what seemed to be a USO dance in full swing. There were sailors and soldiers dancing everywhere, not very different from what Jack had described only minutes earlier.

"What's going on?" Harry asked uncertainly. "Are they real?"

"It's a simple temporal shift." Jack said grinning wildly. "They are real." He laughed. "And it's beautiful."

"We should get out." Harry said quickly, ignoring Jack's mirth.

"We can stay a little while." Jack said, grabbing hold of Harry's arm before he could leave. "Please?"

Reluctantly Harry gave in and let Jack lead him over to the bar, ordering up two brandies. Soon Harry noted that he was the only man there not dressed in a military uniform. While Jack fit in almost perfectly with his period military dress code Harry stuck out like sore thumb and he wasn't the only one to notice.

"What are you doing here?" One of the soldiers demanded as he came up to them, glaring at Harry. "This is for soldiers only."

"He is my little brother." Jack told him calmly before Harry could respond. "I dragged him here."

"Captain." He said immediately as he looked over at Jack, glanced over at Harry one more time before leaving the two of them behind.

"Brother?" Harry asked.

"I don't think lover would have gone over quite as well." Jack said flippantly and Harry had to shake his head in amusement.

"Probably not."

"Sorry." A cute blond girl said, trying to get their attention a few minutes later. "If you don't mind captain I was hoping I could convince your brother to ask me for a dance."

Jack looked amused and quickly gestured for her to take him, forcing Harry to join into a very awkward foxtrot, thankfully the music quickly changed into something slower.

"Your brother is a captain, so how come you aren't enlisted?" She asked shyly.

"Too young, next year." Harry said with a smile. It was ironic; he had been fighting a war since before he was born. But here his body looked too young.

"Oh." She said with a smile. "I'm also 17. My name is Nancy, Nancy Sims."

"Harry Potter."

"You and your brother must be very close, him dragging you here."

"Closer than most." Harry replied, amused and glanced over at Jack. He was with another soldier, talking. While Harry and Jack weren't exclusive by any means, just last month Harry finally ended up in bed with Jake and his girlfriend, for some reason it just didn't sit right with him when he saw Jack with the other man this time. Not one bit.

"Oh." Nancy suddenly said, as she followed his eyes. "Of course, you want spend time with your brother. Is he going out to war soon?"

"Yeah…" Harry said, smiling apologetically at her. "Next time, yeah? I'm sorry."

"I'll keep you to that." She said with a small smile, kissing him on the cheek before they parted ways.

"Jack." Harry said, when he reached him on the other side of the room. "Let's go."

"I thought your name was James." The other soldier said surprised, he sounded American.

"It is." Jack said easily. "Jack is my middle name, Harry and his mother calls me that. Harry meet Captain Jack Harkness" Harry looked up at the other man surprised. This was the man who's identity Jack had taken after he died? "Captain, meet my little brother, Harry James Potter."

"Two James?" the captain laughed.

"My father was named James, he died. That's why mum doesn't like calling Jack by his first name."

"I'm sorry." The captain said quickly, he seemed genuinely sorry and Harry felt almost guilty for his rather rude response.

"I didn't really know him, but thanks."

"Why don't you join us?" the captain offered. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Maybe later." Harry said, giving him a quick smile before turning to Jack. "Can I talk to you outside for a second?"

"What?" Jack asked as soon as they were out of the main hall.

"We need to leave."

"It's his last night alive, tomorrow he dies." Jack said, as if that somehow explained why they couldn't leave. "I want to make sure he has fun."

"I'm sorry, but that is not your responsibility." Harry said. "We have to get back before the others do something stupid to get us there."

"Of course, you're right." Jack agreed reluctantly and with one last glance towards the main hall Harry and Jack headed out the front door. However what greeted them on the other side when they stepped though was not what they had expected.

"It's night." Harry said surprised. Next his eyes started searching for their black SUV, nothing. "Where is the car? Has it been stolen?"

"I think we have." Jack said, staring at the poster across the street '1941, Kiss the boys goodbye dance'. "We are in 1941, 20th of January."

"How do we get back?" Harry demanded, looking at Jack.

"Let's go inside, that's where we were when we came through. Then we wait until it shifts back."

"Alright."

Returning to the main hall the captain quickly came over to greet them again, only this time his eyes seemed more focused on the younger of the two 'brothers'.

"Everything alright?" He asked them.

"Yeah." Harry answered, forcing a smile.

"Right, I should go and get you that drink now." He said, "Any preferences?"

"Brandy." He said, though he would be willing to give his left arm for a large glass of Firewhiskey at that moment. Not that that could happen. A few minutes later Harry, Jack and the Captain were seated at a small table.

"So Harry, any plans of joining up like your brother?"

"Next year." He said with a small smile.

"Let's hope the war will be over before then. You never know with wars, they change quickly."

"One can only hope." Jack agreed, and Harry didn't know how he did it; sitting there so relaxed, knowing exactly what awaited the Captain the next day and knowing fully well the war would last more than just another year.

As the evening progressed Harry almost forgot they were stuck in the wrong era, that the Captain would die, and that there was a war going on outside the Ritz's doors. The Captain was nothing short of impressive, if the wizarding world had had men like him during the war Voldemort would never have come as far as he did.

Later Harry somehow found himself in a lip lock with the Captain. He wasn't exactly sure how it had happened; he hadn't even intentionally flirted, not with Jack there. But somehow they had found themselves alone in a small room after the brief air bombing, Harry convincing him to do whatever he wanted to do that evening because he didn't know if it was going to be his last. After that the captain hadn't wasted any time before pressing his lips against Harry's. It had been soft, uncertain. He didn't doubt that the man had kissed before but something about how he did it made it seem special. Perhaps it had been the first time he had listened to his heart and kissed a man, usually too afraid of people's judgment. But at that moment he hadn't cared. He had kissed and Harry had returned it.

However the second he left Harry found himself being pulled into yet another room, this time by Jack. He barely had enough time to see who it was before he was pushed against the wall. Almost violently Jack pressed his lips against his, forcing a moan out of him within seconds. It lasted for a good ten minutes before Jack broke the kiss, though he didn't step back. He was looking at Harry with the most heated stare he had ever seen.

"I don't want to share you." Jack confessed. "I didn't like the way he was looking at you, I couldn't stand seeing him kiss you and it took every ounce of my self-control not to go in there and drag you out."

"Is this your way of asking me to be your boyfriend?" Harry asked amused.

"I don't do labels." Was his almost automatic response. "But I want to be exclusive."

"You want to be exclusive? No more shagging women? Other men? Aliens? Just me?" Harry asked sceptically.

"Unless we invite someone to join." He added quickly, much to Harry's amusement. "But yes."

"Fine." Harry said.

"Fine?" Jack asked uncertainly.

"Fine. Okay. Yes." He clarified, and couldn't help but press his lips against Jack's smiling ones, as he finally comprehended Harry's words.

As the sun rose the next morning they watched it happen with mixed feelings. They were still there, January 1941 and the date of the temporal shift was over.

"What do we do now?" Harry asked, as the sun rose above the houses.

"Now we have 66 years and 9 months to kill, give or take a couple of days. Any ideas?" Jack said cheerily.

"Good thing you didn't bring Tosh, she would probably die before we'd be back in our time." Harry said, not nearly as cheerily. Then as an afterthought he added. "I always wanted to travel, guess this is as good time as any."

"That's the spirit." Jack grinned. "The earth or the universe?"

"You have a spaceship I should know about?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow at Jack.

"With our looks we can always catch a ride. Sadly we'll probably have to stick to this time period… And there are a few places we should stay clear of just in case. Don't want to run into the past me somewhere. Oh, and there are a few old friends and associates we probably should avoid too."

**TBC…**

_My original intent was to end the story after the season 1 final and then maybe do a sequel after I seen season 2, but since they didn't open the rift to get Harry and Jack back I guess there won't be a 'End of days' episode… so should I just end it here or do you want to see Harry meet the Doctor?_


	17. The Sound of Drums

_This and the next chapter is going to be HP/TW/DW crossovers and therefore I'm gonna write these two episodes as two chapters instead of dividing each 'episode' into two or three chapters. But after that I will start dividing the 'episodes' again =)_**  
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**Chapter SIXTEEN**

66 years, 9 months and 6 day had passed since they last stood above the Torchwood hub on Roald Dahl Plass. It looked exactly the same, not a thing had changed, not even the fashion style of the people passing by. After getting stuck in the 1940s with Jack they had left the British Isles as quickly as possible to avoid creating a paradox, apparently Jack's past self was already running around the city, and two of his past selves were in the country. They hadn't been back since, not until now.

"We are finally home." Harry said, grinning, as he looked up at Jack.

"What? Travelling and UNIT wasn't enough excitement?"

"UNIT was like the Burrow, nice but not mine."

"Okay, let's see if anyone is home shall we?" Jack said, changing the subject as stepped onto the lift.

Walking into the hub after almost 67 years didn't feel as strange as Harry thought it would, it felt like he was home and that surprised him since he still referred to his old universe as his and his current one as Jack's or the Torchwood universe. But strangely enough during those few months all those years ago the hub had become his home.

Seconds after stepping through the doors into the main hub Harry found himself early crushed as Tosh threw her arms around him.

"Harry, I'm so sorry." Was her first word to him. "The rift machine was missing a piece and we couldn't find it, Ianto and Owen are out looking-" She stopped and looked at him confused. "How are you here?"

"Hey!" Jack complained, looking both offended and amused by the scene. "Wasn't I missed at all?"

"Took me a few years but I'll always be back as long as the team is here." Harry said, completely ignoring Jack's interruption. "Cheer up."

"I'm just so glad to see you again." She smiled, tears in her eyes. "It should have been me there, not you. I felt so guilty."

"Hey!" Jack said again and Harry grinned. "What about me?"

"We knew you'd be back." She finally said, looking over at Jack with a smile before giving him a hug as well. "You can't die. But you are late, it's been four days since you disappeared."

"We had some loose ends to tie up first."

When Ianto and Owen arrived a similar scene played out and Harry had to laugh at Jack as he half-heartedly complained about the team preferring Harry to him.

"You are still the most important to me." Harry said. His laughter made it sound it like a joke, but Jake surprised the team by pulling Harry to him and pressing his lips against his.

"Good, because you are never getting away from me."

"What? Are you two dating now?" Owen asked disbelievingly. "I thought it was shagging."

"Things change." Jack shrugged.

"Obviously." Tosh said amused. "How long?"

"Going on 67 years." Jack answered flippantly, unaware of the effect his words had on the rest of the team. "Longest relationship I have had so far."

"So you really didn't find another crack in time, you waited 66 years to get back here." Tosh said awed, looking at the two of them. "I thought Harry was joking."

"Right, I should probably tell you; I can't die either." Harry said uncomfortably. "Haven't aged a day since I was 17, just two months short of 18." He could almost feel all their eyes on him He knew he relatively short for a man with his less than impressive 5'8, the skinny built of his childhood had made him lean rather than muscular as he filled out, and his face was as thin and smooth as ever. He really didn't look much older than a teenager when one looked passed his personality, only his eyes told his real age.

"I always thought you looked young but…" Tosh muttered.

"Guess you'll have to stay away from the US or Jack will be charged with statutory rape." Owen said with a smirk after a minute or two, earning a glare from Harry and Jack both. He ignored it. "Always two more months to wait."

"How did it happen?" Tosh asked, ignoring the doctor.

"Don't know exactly how it works." Harry said honestly, he really didn't know how the artefacts had made him immortal, just that they had. "Someone tried to kill me, didn't work, haven't aged since."

"What about your hair and nails, do they still grow? Can you gain and loose weight?" Tosh asked.

"Hair and nails, yes." Harry said amused. "It's pretty much the same as Jack, except the dying part. He dies actually dies, I just sort of regenerate the second before death."

"But you are completely human, you had a physical when you joined."

"I am human." Harry said. "Just one that death doesn't want."

"How old are you? Really."

"91."

"And isn't he gorgeous?" Jack asked smugly, drawing their attention to him while Harry smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Guess you really found your match, Jack." Tosh offered.

"Harry could do better, I think." Owen joked. "My neighbour-"

"I'm glad you are back." Ianto interrupted. "And I'm happy for you."

Watching him go Harry quickly walked after him.

"Ianto." He called out before the other man had a chance to go back up to the tourist centre. "Wait."

"Yes?"

"Have you decided? About Liza, I mean?"

"Not yet, they said it was no hurry. But I suppose I will need to decide soon."

"There is something I might be able to do, if you want me to. I could go into her mind, though I can't promise it will work. But you can't ask me any questions about it, I can't explain how it works."

"You could ask her? What she wants?"

"No, but I might be able to see her memories. If she has ever thought of a situation like this…"

"A month ago you said I had to make this decision, that nothing could do it for me."

"For me it has been years. You can learn a lot in 66 years."

"Thank you, but I already know what she wanted before... I just don't know if I'm ready to let her go or if she really wants me to." Ianto said and Harry only nodded before walking back into the main hub and sat down by his desk. Not a thing had been moved; it was just strange. It was as the world had been frozen while he was gone.

As the evening came Harry found himself reluctant to leave the hub, on top of that he didn't know what was home anymore. His old one? Would Jack come with him? Would he want to stay in the hub? Would he want them to stay in the hub? The more he thought about it, the more he suddenly wanted to go home. He hadn't seen a photo of Ron or Hermione or anyone else from his old life in over half a century. He had missed them; he had lit candles for Hermione, Remus and his parents all over the world. But he had almost started forgetting what they looked like. He missed the feel of his invisibility cloak, of his old books, of the burn as the firewhiskey ran down his throat. He only had one bottle left… he really should have gotten more when he went back there with Jack.

Deciding to head home he went to tell Jack he was leaving, and that he was welcome to come if he wanted to.

"I'll stay here tonight." Jack said, barely looking up from his computer. "I have some things I need to check on." Then he finally looked up at Harry. "I thought you would want to stay too. You made a list of things you were going to check up on when we got back. You had a few theories about the rift."

"There are some things I missed more at home." Harry said, then smiling at him he added. "I will see you tomorrow."

But Harry had been wrong. Walking into the hub the next morning everything was a mess, it looked like a hurricane had gone through and left. Not for the first time he thought he should go back to his world and get a magical watch to show him when Jack was 'abducted', 'fighting aliens', and 'safe'. It would certainly come in handy. But that wasn't really an option for the time being so instead Harry started looking around the hub for any trace of him, any clue. Soon he concluded that the only clue that had he had left behind was that the doctor's hand, Jack's doctor detector, was gone too. Jack had gone looking for his doctor, he would finally be 'fixed'.

The revelation left Harry in a sour mood as he explained it to the team. And the fact that he felt guilty for his mood only made it worse. He should be happy for Jack, he should. He had finally found his doctor, he would finally be able to die, like he wanted to… and Harry would be left alone again. This was exactly why he didn't do relationships! Jack was gone. And in this universe things didn't live forever, Harry would always be alone. This must have been how Jack had always felt before he met Harry, knowing that there was a chance that one day he would be the only living thing left in all the universe. It was sombre thought, but it allowed him to understand a little, maybe even forgive Jack. After all, who wants to live forever?

Harry had quickly become the leader of the group after Jack disappeared. So far he was doing pretty well, not that anything too big had happened; just a couple of weevils causing havoc around the city. No, it was almost as if the rift itself was laying low, allowing the British election to take place in peace. It had been so peaceful in fact that they had all been sent away on a mission by Saxon a few days before the election.

Harold Saxon, perhaps the most beloved politician Harry had ever seen, was winning votes easier than… there was really no comparison. Even when they left, with just a few days left before the election, there was no doubt the man would win by a landslide and Harry just didn't get it. The man was handsome, he'd give him that, but he wasn't really saying anything yet people adored him. Loyal key members of the Labour and Conservative party had been fleeing over to Saxon's without a second thought, voters abandoned their old believes just to vote Saxon. Tosh, Ianto and Owen simply worshipped the man, he never imagined any of them being specifically interested in politics. Their minds were always up in the stars or on the rift. Harry found it odd, but then again he never really paid much attention to muggle politics in either universe. It wasn't as if he would be able to vote in this electio anyway, not after having been sent to the Himalayas with the rest of the team on what felt like a wild goose chase looking for Toclafanes… an alien breed that had made contact with English government. So far they hadn't hair or hide of them, or anything else for that matter.

"Anything?" Harry asked Tosh as she looked over the latest readings.

"Not a thing, I think we should warn Saxon before he declares diplomatic relations with these creatures. We know nothing about them, this is turning out to be another dead end."

"We are already sending him daily reports." Owen said with a hint of irritation.

"I'm going back, I will go talk to him personally." Harry told them. "You stay here and finish what we started."

"Are you sure that is wise, sir?" Ianto asked. "Our instructions were very clear."

"If he is allowing hostile aliens into our atmosphere the consequences would be far worse." Then as an afterthought he added one of Jack's favourite claims. "Besides, we are beyond the government. We are doing this as a favour, nothing more."

"It will take you a day before you get there, it might be too late." Tosh warned.

"Don't worry, I will make it." Harry promised.

Ten minutes later appearated into the heart of London feeling more than a little drained. There was a reason there was such a thing as a travel agency in the wizarding world too, appearating great distances took a tremendous amount of energy and magic. Harry wished he could go home and take a nap before tracking down the new PM but knew there was no time to waste.

His first instinct was to draw his wand and do a simple 'point me' charm to find Saxon, but quickly thought better of it and instead switched his mobile on. Saxon was just one phone call away, and over the years he had learned to try to avoid using magic as it caused too many questions. However as soon as the mobile was back on again the messages started flowing. The one that drew more attention than the rest were the 16 missed calls from Jack in the last four hours, though it had been more than two hours since the last call.

Suddenly all thoughts of Saxon fled his mind, Jack was back! He hadn't died as Harry feared he would. Despite being the one dialling Jack's phone Harry didn't get a chance to speak when Jack picked up. He said one sentence, nothing more then he hung up. 'Go to your rift and wait'.

An hour later Harry was sitting in the same old London cellar waiting for Jack, he had been there nearly 30 minutes before he showed up, and he wasn't alone. At the sight of his companions Harry jumped to his feet, his wand at the ready.

"How did you get here?" Harry demanded, as he stared back at one of the companions, completely ignoring Jack. He thought he would sound hysterical or at least angry, he didn't. He sounded calm and commanding.

"Is he pointing a stick at you?" A dark skinned woman asked disbelievingly, standing next to Crouch. Crouch himself looked at Harry with an unreadable expression while Jack quickly moved in front of him as a shield.

"Put it down, Harry. I don't know who you think he is, but he isn't."

"He is a killer!" Harry snapped. "He helped torture the Longbottoms to insanity, the sent me to my death! It's his fault Cedric is dead!"

"Harry, that is the Doctor." Jack informed him, not moving an inch. "Lower your wand."

"Wand?" The woman echoed disbelievingly. Crouch had yet to say a word, he only stared back at him from behind Jack.

"Trust me." Jack continued, ignoring her. "I would never let anyone hurt you."

"Prove it. Prove that he isn't Crouch."

"Harry, you told me what happened to him, he is dead. They just look the same. It has happened before. You told me about your aunt, about Hermione's parents."

"They were all muggles!" Harry protested. "He is a wizard."

"Not wizard, Time Lord." Crouch protested. "Big difference."

"Harry. This is the Doctor. I swear." Jack pleaded one last time and Harry reluctantly lowered his wand. "Thank you." Jack breathed a sigh of relief. He looked like he was about to say something else but the 'doctor' beat him to it.

"Ah! I knew there was something off about you!" The man suddenly said triumphantly. "You don't belong in this universe. It's almost like you aren't here." His eyes drifted up to where the rift was. "I'm guessing you come through there."

"So do you." Harry said darkly.

"Nah, I'm from a different galaxy, not universe." He disagreed easily. "Now, who are you?"

"Harry. Harry Potter."

"Well, I'm the Doctor. Sorry if my counter part in your universe is… well you know… but if it makes you feel any better I've only had this face for about two years. Before that-"

"Doctor." Jack interrupted, before turning to Harry. "Where are the others? None of them answered."

"The Himalayas. Saxon sent us there just before the election to look into a new alien species that want to have diplomatic relations with earth. They said they been here before. But we can't find anything about them, I came back to warn him before the announcement."

"Too late for that." The doctor muttered, causing Harry to glance over at him.

"Bloody idiot." Harry said annoyed before turning to Jack. "Told you he wouldn't do any good if he was elected."

"Wait." The doctor said, looking at him with new eyes. "You don't trust him?"

"He doesn't stand for anything, all he does is smile on the telly and people love him for it."

"But not you."

"Not me."

"What are you in your universe? What species?"

"I'm human" Harry said as if it should be obvious. "…a wizard."

"A wizard?" The man said disbelievingly.

"First Jack, now you." Harry complained. "Yes, a wizard. Why is that so hard to believe? Supposedly you're an alien that has two hearts who can travel through time and space."

"No, no, sorry. I suppose anything is possible in another universe…" He said reluctantly. "Are pigs flying there too?" Harry wanted to roll his eyes.

"Happened once or twice, but that is a serious breach of the Ban on Experimental Breeding." Harry assured them offhandedly instead, making Jack smile and the woman laugh, while the doctor just gave a calculating look.

"What else can you do?"

"Do we really have time for this, doctor?" Jack asked at the same time as Harry replied.

"Loads of things."

"Right..." The doctor agreed before tearing his eyes away from Harry. "We should get going. Come along."

"Not until you tell me what's going on. Whether I like him or not I still have to talk to Saxon about the Toclafane."

"No such thing." The doctor assured him. "Don't know what they are yet but they can't be Toclafane. Doesn't exist. He just wanted to get you out of the way."

"It's all everybody is talking about." Harry protested. "If they aren't what they claim and Saxon let them into our atmosphere…"

"He knows." He claimed darkly. "Saxon isn't human either, he is a Time Lord. The Toclafane is our version of the bogyman. He knows."

"So he is bringing in his own army? Why? He already has power, everyone loves him."

"Don't know yet. But after your call to Jack he knows you're here. Wouldn't be surprised if you are on the most wanted list too by now."

"Great. Again." Harry muttered. "At least I won't be undesirable number one this time."

"Fourth at best." Jack said, earning a smile from Harry.

"If he knew what I could do I would so be higher up than you on that list."

"Always trying to top me, eh?"

"Oh, don't start!" The doctor interrupted.

"Always thought you were pretty cute in a psychotic way." Harry said, turning his attention to the Doctor. "You are more than welcome-"

"Now there are two of them!" The Doctor complained horrified, looking over at the amused woman, who now looked over at Harry.

"I'm Martha by the way. Martha Jones."

"Nice to meet you, Martha Jones. I'm Harry Potter." Harry said. "Now, where are we off to?"

A few hours later they were all sitting in an abandoned factory building, while Martha was out getting them something to eat. Jack was staring at his wrist strap, or rather the mini-computer attached to it, the doctor was staring at a laptop and Harry was staring at the Doctor. He wouldn't allow himself to take his eyes of him for long.

"You really don't trust me, do you?" The Doctor asked, glancing up at Harry.

"It's hard with your face, but I trust Jack's judgement."

"How long have you two been together? Last time I saw Jack I don't think he knew what commitment was."

"Almost 67 years."

"But you can't be more than 20, max." The Doctor insisted, taking him in once more. "Are you sure you're human?"

"Believe me, both UNIT and Torchwood have classified me as human. I'm human. I just can't die."

"Then Jack really found his match." The doctor said, though he looked more suspicious than anything else. "How did it happen to you then? Immortality."

"Magic." Harry said with a wide grin, hoping the answer would vex him as much as it did Jack. He got his wish.

"Even if you can do magic in your universe it shouldn't work in this one, there is no magic here."

"Sure there is. I meet magical creatures here." Harry disagreed, thinking of the Fairies. "Jack doesn't call them that though… what do you describe them again?" He asked glancing over at Jack. "Right, something you can only half-see; like a glimpse, like something out of the corner of your eye with a touch of myth, a touch of the spirit world, a touch of reality, all jumbled together. Old moments and memories that are frozen in amongst it. Like the breeze spinning around a ringed planet, tossing, turning, whirling. Backwards and forwards through time."

"Sounds like magic to me." Martha agreed as she came walking into the room, handing everyone a set of chips each. "Anything new?" She asked as she handed the Doctor his.

"I've got this tuned into the government wavelength so we can follow what Saxon's doing." Jack answered from a few feet away.

"Yeah, I meant about my family."

"It still says the Jones family taken in for questioning. Tell you what, though, no mention of Leo." The doctor informed her.

"He's not as daft as he looks. I'm talking about my brother on the run." She smiled, then shook her head. "How did this happen?"

"War." Harry answered. "You can never be sure about what's going to happen next. My best friend wiped her parents' memory of her completely and sent them to another country to keep them safe once." Harry told her. "She was just 17." There was that awkward silence again and Harry was grateful when Jack came over to them, commenting on the chips Martha had brought back with her.

"Actually, they are not bad." The doctor quickly agreed. "Now, did anyone see you?"

"Don't think so." Martha responded.

"Good."

Harry didn't miss the glance between Jack and Martha before Jack spoke next.

"So, Doctor, who is he? How come the ancient society of Time Lords created a psychopath? All the legends of Gallifrey made it sound so perfect."

"And what is he to you? Like a colleague…" Martha added.

"A friend at first. And to the outside maybe, and it was. It was beautiful." He added, leaning backwards. "They used to call it the Shining World of the Seven Systems. And on the Continent of Wild Endeavour, in the Mountains of Solace and Solitude, there stood the Citadel of the Time Lords… The oldest and most mighty race in the universe…looking down on the galaxies below…sworn never to interfere…only to watch… Children of Gallifrey, taken from their families at the age of eight to enter the Academy. And some say that's when it all began. When he was a child… that's when the Master, Saxon," He added for Harry's benefit. "saw eternity. As a novice, he was taken for initiation, it's a gap in the fabric of reality through which could be seen the whole of the vortex. You stand there, eight years old…staring at the raw power of time and space, just a child. Some would be inspired…some would run away…and some would go mad."

"What about you? Which one were you?" Martha asked.

"Oh, I ran away. I never stopped." He confessed just as Jack's wrist strap beeped.

"Encrypted channel with files attached. Don't recognize it." Jack informed them as he took a look.

"Patch it through to the laptop" The Doctor ordered. Jack hesitated.

"Um, since we're telling stories, um, there's something I haven't told you." Jack said, while patching the file over to the laptop, as ordered. "Harry and I work for Torchwood."

"I work for you, not Torchwood." Harry disagreed. After working for UNIT the last few decades Harry had learned more about the old Torchwood than he ever wanted to.

"You work for Torchwood?" The Doctor said angrily, as if betrayed.

"I swear to you, it's different. It's changed. There's only half a dozen of us now." Jack assured him, almost desperate for the man's approval.

"Everything Torchwood did and you're part of it?"

"The old regime was destroyed at Canary Wharf. I rebuilt it, I changed it. And when I did that, I did it for you, in your honour."

The Doctor only glared at him before opening the file on the computer showing a video of a blonde woman Harry had never seen before.

"If I haven't returned to my desk by 2200 hours, this file will be emailed to Torchwood. Which means, if you're watching this, then I'm… Anyway, the Saxon files are attached. But take a look at the Archangel document. That's when it all started. When Harry Saxon became Minister in charge of launching the Archangel Network."

"Angel Network?" The Doctor echoed, glancing around the room for answers.

"It's the mobile phone network. It's gone worldwide. They've got 15 satellites in orbit. Even the other networks, they're all carried by Archangel." Jack explained.

"Phone." The doctor ordered and Martha handed him hers immediately. "It's the phones. Oh, I said he was a hypnotist!" The doctor continued, aiming his sonic screwdriver at the phone an soon they could hear a rhythmic beeping. "This is how he is doing it. That rhythm, it's everywhere. Ticking away in the subconscious."

"Like mind control?" Martha asked.

"No, no, no, no. Subtler than that. Any stronger and people would question it. But contained in that rhythm, in layers of code… Vote Saxon. Believe in me. Whispering to the world. Oh, yes! That's how he hid himself from me. 'Cause I should have sensed there was another Time Lord on Earth. I should have known way back. The signal cancelled him out." Then as if something suddenly hit him his eyes flew to Harry. "Why aren't you affected?"

"I'm very stubborn. Mind control doesn't work on me."

"His mind is completely shut off to psychic aliens, at least the ones he met." Jack added. "He was kind of a federal agent in his world, part of his training. Anyway you can stop the Angel Network?" Jack asked.

"Not from down here. But now we know how he's doing it."

"And we can fight back" Martha concluded.

"Oh yes!" The Doctor agreed, looking over at her with a wide smile.

After that Harry watched with mild curiosity as the Doctor took apart Martha's mobile and laptop, fusing the circuitry and keys together with his sonic screwdriver before tying a string to each of the keys. Then he nearly jumped to his feet in excitement.

"Four TARDIS keys, four pieces of the TARDIS with low-level perception properties because the TARDIS is designed to blend in. Well, sort of, but… Now! The Archangel Network's got a second low-level signal. Weld the key to the network and… Martha," He said, taking a few step away from them "look at me. You can see me, yes?"

"Yep!" She said happily.

"How about now?" He asked, slipping the key around his neck. Martha looked at him, blinking every now and then as if looking at him was giving her a headache. Personally Harry didn't see a difference.

"It's like…I know you're there but I don't _want_ to know." She finally said.

"And back again." The doctor declared before taking the key off._ "_See? It just shifts your perception a tiny little bit. Doesn't make us invisible, just unnoticed. Oh, I know what it's like. It's like—it's like when you fancy someone and they don't even know you exist. That's what it's like. Come on!"

Martha looked at Jack and he gave him a sympathetic look as the Doctor rushed out of the room. "You too, huh?"

Just before they were all about to step out from the building the Doctor handed them each a key, Harry however tried to reject it.

"I have something better."

"Just in case then." The Doctor said insistently and Harry put it in the pocket of his trousers.

"He sees though perception filters, doesn't trust them." Jack explained, earning Harry another curious glance from the Doctor, which only intensified as he watched Harry pull out a large cloak from his coat pocked.

"They are bigger on the inside." Harry explained easily, earning a laugh from Jack for some unknown reason, and look of amazement from Martha, while the Doctor moved forward and pushed his hand down his pocket without warning, the better part of his forearm disappearing from view.

"That is Time Lord technology!" The Doctor said disbelievingly as he withdrew his hand. "How did you get it?"

"Magic, I charmed them." Harry dismissed, he had had the same conversation with Jack more than once, though not about his pockets. "But if you think this is impressive, wait until you see my tent." With that said Harry threw his cloak over his shoulders, leaving only his head visible to the others who only stared at him.

Charming his pockets and filling them with useful magical artifacts had been one of the first things he had done when he and Jack had returned to their time. Spending almost 70 years with only a wand had just felt wrong… he didn't know how many times he gone looking for the fairies just to sense magic, to feel it, but never finding them.

"You really are a wizard aren't you?" Martha asked, smiling disbelievingly, earning herself a huge smile from Harry.

"Yes! Finally, yes I am a wizard." Then he turned to Jack and the doctor. "Now, where are we heading?"

"There is an air strip Saxon is scheduled to be at in three hours to meet the American president." Jack said. "And we will be there too."

Exactly at 5am Harry, Jack, Martha and the Doctor were all watching the American president inform Saxon that he and UNIT were taking over the show.

"We have accessed your files on these… Toclafane. First contact cannot take place on any sovereign soil. For that purpose, the aircraft carrier _Valiant_ is en route. The rendezvous will take place there at 8:00 am."

"So America is completely in charge?" Saxon asked, seeming completely unconcern by the recent turn of events.

"Since Britain elected an ass, yes. I'll see you onboard the _Valiant_." The President said, and Harry couldn't help but agree with him. They had elected an ass.

"It still will be televised, though, won't it? Because I promised, and the whole world is watching." Saxon reminded him.

"Since it's too late to pull out, the world will be watching. Me." With those parting words the President walked away, and none of them could quite hear Saxon's next words to his wife, despite the Time Lord hearing and the eavesdropping charm Harry was using.

What happened next made Harry think back to the war in his world. The Jones, Martha's family, was being moved and Martha's desperation as she saw them reminded him of the desperation and helplessness he had felt when Sirius had fallen through the veil and out of his reach. After that Jack grabbed his hand and pressed it against his wrist strap before they all disappeared and reappeared in a machine room.

The journey however made Harry reconsider any complaints he had had against magical transportation, in comparison to this those were all like being rocked to sleep in a mother's arms.

"That thing is rough." Martha complained.

"Never again, Jack. Never." Harry told him firmly.

"I've had worse." He looked pointedly at Harry. Jack hated magical travel methods. "Welcome to the Valiant."

"It's dawn!" Martha said, looking out the window. "Hold on, I thought this was a ship. Where is the sea?" She asked, looking out at what seemed more like an airport than a ship.

"A ship for the 21st century, protecting the skies of planet Earth." Jack said, looking almost proud.

A few minutes later they were all running around, looking for a way out. At least until the Doctor stopped, a wide smile spreading on his lips as he listened to something none of the others could hear and began to lead them all towards the source of the sound.

This detour led them to an old blue Police box. Harry found it odd finding one inside a levitating ship; the others however gave jubilant cries as they ran into it. Reluctantly Harry followed, well inside however all cries of joy died and Harry looked around coming to one simple conclusion. It was bigger on the inside.

"I thought you said you weren't a wizard." Harry said, the suspicion he had felt towards the Doctor before slowly seeping back to the surface.

"What the hell has he done?" Jack asked, horrified.

"Don't touch it." The Doctor ordered, both of them completely ignoring Harry's statement.

"I wasn't going to!" Jack protested while Martha looked around.

"What has he done though? Sounds like it's sick."

"It can't be…" The Doctor denied as he took a closer look. "No, no, no, no, no. No. It can't be."

"Doctor, what is it?" Martha asked concerned.

"He has cannibalised the Tardis. It's a paradox machine. It's set to go off at 8:02 am."

"What does a Paradox Machine do?" Martha asked.

"More importantly, can you stop it?" Jack asked.

"Not until I know what it's doing. Touch the wrong bit and blow up the solar system."

"We have to get to Saxon." Harry interrupted, the others seeming to almost completely have forgotten about why they were at the ship to begin with. "We have to find Saxon, the Master, whatever." He repeated when no one listened.

"Yeah." Jack agreed a second later. "But how do we stop him?"

"Oh, I've got a way. Sorry, didn't I tell you?" The Doctor asked, grinning widely at them, a sharp contrast to the expression that had been on his face only seconds before.

When they finally found Saxon he was already seated, watching the American president welcome the Toclafane to Earth.

"For as long as man has looked to the stars, he has wondered what mysteries they hold. Now we know we are not alone…"

"So, what's the plan?" Jack whispered as the President spoke.

"If I can get the Tardis key around the Master's neck…cancel out his perception, they'll see him for real. It's just hard to go unnoticed with everyone on red alert. If they stop me…you've got a key." The Doctor looked at Jack.

"Yes, sir."

"I'll get him." Martha swore and Harry just nodded, half listening to them, half to the President's speech.

"And I ask you now, I ask of the human race, to join with me in welcoming our friends. I give you the Toclafane." As on cue three Toclafan appeared out of thin air next to him, they were small, round robot-like balls, no bigger than a human head. "My name is Arthur Coleman Winters, President-Elect of the United States of America and designated representative of the United Nations. I welcome you to the planet Earth and its associated moon." He told them.

"You're not the Master." A male sounding Toclafane said, flying around the president in circles.

"We like the Mr Master." The second, female sounding, Toclafane said.

"We don't like you!" The third told him.

"I… can be Master, if you so wish. I will accept mastery over you if that is God's will." The President told them, sounding both uncertain and confused.

"Man is stupid." "Master is our friend." "Where's my Master, pretty please?" The three Toclafane continued, taking turns.

"Oh, all right then. It's me." Saxon stood up. "Ta-da!" He laughed. "Sorry. Sorry, I have this effect. People just get obsessed. Is it the smile? Is it the aftershave? Is it the capacity to laugh at myself? I don't know. It's crazy!" He continued at and Harry couldn't help but agree, but at least he understood the reason behind people's obsession now: hypnosis.

"Saxon, what are you talking about?" The president demanded to know. And at once, and perhaps the first time Harry seen it, Saxon looked serious.

"I m taking control, Uncle Sam. Starting with you." Turning to the one of the Toclafane he gave the order to kill and within seconds the President was no more than dust on the floor causing chaos to erupt as everyone tried to leave the room at once. All but Harry, Jack, Martha and the Doctor were.

Instead the Doctor ran forward, tearing the key away from his neck. But before he could reach Saxon two guards had him on the floor, seconds later Jack and Martha found themselves in the same possition. Harry however seemed to remain undetected.

"As if a perception filter's gonna work on me." Saxon told them mockingly before a laser hit Jack and he fell to the floor, dead. It took every ounce of self-control Harry possessed not to rush over to him. _"_Laser screwdriver," Saxon explained. "who'd have sonic? And the good thing is, he's not dead for long. I get to kill him again!"

His words made Harry stare up at him from under the cloak, hadn't the Doctor fixed him? Wasn't Jack really dead? Too surprised by this new information Harry barely noticed Martha run over to Jack or even Saxon speaking. It was first when he heard the Doctor scream and convulse on the floor, rapidly aging a hundred years in seconds, that he was brought back to the present. He saw Martha crawl over to him now, holding him. He saw Jack watching them and then he heard the Toclafane speak again, asking about the machine. About the Paradox Machine.

Seconds later Saxon was running to the window, looking out as millions, maybe even billions, of Toclafane appeared in the sky. However the next words out of Saxon's mouth made Harry gasp.

"Remove one-tenth of the population!"

Harry drew his wand, careful not to disturb the cloak, and muttered the Imperius curse under his breath. He didn't even hesitate and a second later Saxon ordered the Toclafane to stop and Harry allowed the hood of his cloak to fall back, making himself visible and allowing himself to put all his concentration on enforcing the curse on Saxon.

Martha and Jack stares at him in wonder, and as usual the doctor's expression is more difficult to read as he looks at Harry.

"Send them back to where they came from." Harry ordered out loud, hoping it would strengthen the command. He had only used the curse once before. He didn't know how long he would be able to keep Saxon under. He was already fighting it and he was winning.

"No!" Saxon yelled out, efficiently breaking the curse as he did so. Just like Harry in his fourth year.

Harry waved his wand again, binding Saxon's arms and legs together before he had time to recover, walking towards him with his Tardis key in his hand.

"You don't want to do that." Saxon told him confidently, even as he laid by his feet. "If you do it, I will have no control of them either. They will kill everyone."

"And if I kill you?" Harry asked calmly, glaring down at him.

"You wouldn't, that would be against the Doctor's teachings."

"I'm not much of a fan." Harry informed him.

"Taking a life changes you." Saxon offered, though his effort was half-hearted.

"Wouldn't be the first time."

"If you join me-"

"The first time I heard a mad man gave me that speech I was 11. I have passed it up ever since and compared to you he was a bloody saint. I think I will take my chances with the key." Harry finished.

"No!" The Doctor cried out as loudly as he could. Harry looked over at him and that was all Saxon needed, swiftly using his laser to cut the rope.

Back on his feet her quickly ordered his guards to capture Harry. In the commotion that followed Harry vaguely saw Martha teleport out, and almost instinctively Harry dove for Jack, appearating them out; leaving the Doctor and Saxon behind on the ship.

**TBC…**


	18. Last of the Time Lords

**Chapter SEVENTEEN**

Harry and Jack had split up less then an hour after they had left the Valiant. Jack had gone looking for the team while sending Harry after Martha. He had seen the doctor whisper to her, giving her instructions, and told Harry he was the best protection she could get. In the mean time Jack and the team would do their best to create distractions, and plant false trails. So far they had done so brilliantly. After 360 days on the run together Harry and Martha had been spotted on less than a handful times.

When Harry first had appeared a few feet behind her with a loud crack a five days after her escape the Valiant Martha had nearly had a heart attack. He had caught up with her in Paris and he hadn't left her side since. He had been her bodyguard, her friend and her confidant. He had waited until she until she had wanted to share, until she had been ready, and not once had he questioned her or asked what her task was.

Throughout their journey they had heard resistance members talk about the false trails Jack and the team had planted to help them as well as real events, they heard stories of their bravery and of how they were going to defeat the Master. None of them true. But they gave hope and for that he was grateful and now they were finally back on British soil, they were home and their task was almost finished.

"What's your name?" Martha asked as they reached the man that had waited for them on the beach as jumped of the boat.

"Tom Milligan. No need to ask who you two are, the famous Martha Jones and Harry Potter. How long since you were last in Britain?"

"365 days." Martha answered, "It's been a long year."

"So what's the plan?" Tom asked, his eyes more on Martha than Harry. He didn't mind, for once he was not key in a war, he was the sidekick, the helper.

"This Professor Docherty. We need to see her. Can you get us there?"

"She works in a repair shed, Nuclear Plant 7. I can get you inside. What's all this for? What's so important about her?"

"Sorry, the more you know, the more you're at risk." Harry replied.

"There's a lot of people depending on you two you know. You're a bit of a legend. That say you sailed the Atlantic, walked across America. That you're the only two people to get out of Japan alive. 'Martha Jones and Harry Potter', they say, 'They're gonna save the world.' Bit late for that." Tom told them as they walked. Harry tuned out after that and let Martha take over completely. It was the same everywhere they went and Martha handled it a lot better than Harry did. What however did take Harry by surprise was when they stopped in front of a truck.

"How come you can drive? Don't you get stopped?" Harry asked.

"Medical staff. Used to be in paediatrics back in the old days. But that gives me a license to travel so I can help out at the labour camps."

"Looks like you finally get to travel with a Doctor, Harry." Martha said with a small smile as she jumped into front seat, Harry took the back.

"Story goes, that you're the only person on Earth who can kill him. That you, and you alone, can kill the Master stone dead." Tom told Martha. "And that Harry is keeping you safe. That he can't die… Thought he would be bigger to be honest." Martha smirked and Harry rolled his eyes, always the same.

"Harry can do things you can't even dream of." Martha defended a second later and Harry smiled. Over the last year Martha had become closer than a sibling to him, maybe even as close as Hermione had been, and he knew she felt the same. That relationship was perhaps the only good thing that had come out of this war.

As the sun rose it was time for the show and tell section of the visit. Harry supposed seeing the destruction and horror the Master had brought about helped motivate them but every time they saw it he could see a small piece of Martha's soul die in her eyes. It pained him more then the sights themselves some times. This time they were shown another shipyard full of rockets and silos. It looked like the entire south coast of England had been converted. Still, it had nothing on Russia. The master would break up cars, houses, anything, just for the metal to build these things all around the world.

"You should see Russia. That's Shipyard Number One. All the way from the Black Sea to the Bering Strait. There's 100,000 rockets ready for war." Martha told Tom, Harry had barely registered them talking.

"War? With who?" He asked.

"The rest of the universe. I've been out there, Tom. In space. Before all this happened. And there's a thousand different civilizations all around us with no idea of what's happening here. The Master can build weapons big enough to devastate them all. What do you think the countdown is actually for?"

Shortly after a Toclafane came up right behind them, Harry and Martha didn't move but they could hear Tom's fear as he answered its questions. It was funny really, when the Doctor had made the key for him Harry hadn't even wanted it, yet now he never took it of. Not since he caught up with Martha anyway. She refused to talk to an invisible man, she'd told him and while the key wasn't as effective with humans as the cloak was it certainly worked fine with the Toclafane. Now days he mainly used the cloak to keep her safe at night, almost every night he would hide her underneath it when she fallen asleep. He didn't trust humanity nearly as much as she did, he had seen what war did and how strong protective and survival instincts can be at times.

At 3 pm they finally got to see the Docherty woman, the woman who would betray them and bring them back to the Valiant, to her family and to the two last Time Lords in existence. At least that was what they were hoping for.

"Obviously the Archangel Network would seem to be… the Master's greatest weakness. 15 satellites all around Earth, still transmitting. That's why there's so little resistance. It's broadcasting a telepathic signal that keeps people scared." Docherty told them a while into their visit as they discussed the Master.

"We could just take them out." Tom suggested and Harry nearly smiled. It was nice to see that people still had hope even with the constant transmissions meant to erase it.

"We could. 15 ground-to-air missiles. You got any on you? Besides, any military action, the Toclafane descend." Docherty had clearly lost hers a long time ago. But then again, they were counting on that.

"They're not called Toclafane. That's a name the Master made up." Martha suddenly told them.

"What are they then?" She asked.

"That's why we came to find you. Know your enemy. I've got a disk. No one's been able to look at a sphere close up. They can't even be damaged. Except once. The lightening strike in South Africa brought one of them down. Just by chance. I've got the readings on this."

"So is that why you travelled the world? To find a disc?" Tom asked uncertainly.

"No, we just got lucky." Martha told him. Harry wasn't sure if he'd call it luck. Everyone who seen it happen, everyone but one child who had managed to hide, had been wiped out by the Toclafane afterwards so that the story wouldn't spread.

"Let's have look then." Docherty said, popping the disk into her computer. "There! A current of 58.5 kilo amperes transferred charge of 510 mega joules precisely. That is what we need."

"Great, let's go get us a sphere then and we can test the theory." Martha declared. Time to start the con.

When they gotten a sphere Harry could honestly say he was curious to see what was inside, to see what had been hunting and slowly killing off the human race everyday for the past year. Before they had only heard a story from the little boy who seen it, and viewed the disk his father had given him before he hid him under the floorboards. The disk had only been data and information though, no photos.

"There's some sort of magnetic clamp. Hold on, I'll just trip the-" Docherty told them as she released the clamp making the sphere open like pedals. Looking inside they were greeted by the sight of a wizened human head attached to machinery with countless wires. Harry felt sick. Then the lights came on and it opened its eyes.

"It's alive." Tom gasped.

"Martha. Martha Jones." The sphere called out. "Sweet, kind Martha Jones. You helped us to fly."

"What do you mean?" Martha asked almost fearfully.

"You led us to salvation." It informed her.

"Who are you?"

"The skies are made of diamonds." Martha gasped in horror at the response.

"No." She was in denial. "You can't be him."

"We share each other's memories. You sent him to Utopia." It responded and Harry could see the horrified tears in Martha's eyes.

"What's going on, Martha?" Harry asked, almost fearing the answer himself.

"They are us, they are humans from the future. The Master brought them here, using the Paradox Machine so that they and we would be able to be here at the same time, so that they can kill us without killing themselves..."

"If you're human, why would you kill humans?" Harry asked the sphere, sounding much calmer than he felt and giving Martha a second to calm herself down.

"Because it's fun." It replied but before Harry could ask something else Tom had shot it dead.

After that it didn't take Docherty long to step up her game. "I think it's time we had the truth, Miss Jones. The legend says you've travelled the world to find a way of killing the Master. Tell us, is it true?"

And so the tale about the gun in four parts that could kill a time lord begun. She went on to explain how she had gathered all but the last piece that was hidden in an old UNIT base in London.

"We can't go across London in the dark. It's full of wild dogs; we'd get eaten alive. We can wait till the morning, then go with the medical convoy." Tom told them and Harry could tell Martha felt bad for lying to him but she really didn't have a choice and neither did he. Not if this was going to work.

Later Tom took them to slave quarters of a settlement not too far away, allowing Martha to do her real mission. Tell the story of the Doctor.

"I travelled across the world. From the ruins of New York, to the fusion mills of China, right across the radiation pits of Europe. And everywhere I went, I saw people just like you, living as slaves. But if Martha Jones and Harry Potter became legends, then that's wrong because our names aren't important. There's someone else. The man who sent me out there. The man who told me to walk the Earth. His name is the Doctor. He has saved your lives so many times, and you never even knew he was there. He never stops. He never stays. He never asks to be thanked. But I've seen him. I know him. I love him. And I know what he can do."

However this time Martha didn't get to finish the tale as she normally would as a woman came into the room looking utterly terrified.

"It's him! It's him! Oh my God, it's him! It's the Master! He's here!"

"But he never comes to Earth! He never walks upon the ground" A boy said disbelievingly.

"Hide them." Another woman ordered, looking at Harry and Martha. Meanwhile Harry could hear the Master coming closer outside, calling for their surrender.

"Martha! Martha Jones! Harry Potter! Come out, come out wherever you are! Come and meet your Master! Anybody? Nobody? No? Nothing? Until you show yourselves I will kill one person every ten seconds unless you surrender... Now, what do you think the doctor would do in your situation? Hmm?" Harry could see the effect the words had on Martha and he rose to his feet and walked with her as she begun to walk out to greet him. They were going back to where it all begun. But before they reached the door Harry put his hand on Martha's shoulder and stopped her.

"I will go first, if he tries to kill me, run. Don't go out, run and hide." Harry told her firmly then shook his head and laughed, but it held no joy. "Sorry, you would never run. That's not who you are. But wait, wait until he taken his anger out on me. I will heal, promise me." She wouldn't. Instead she only stared at him pleadingly as she shook her head, but he refused to give in. "Promise."

"I promise."

After that Harry barely remembered walking out much less Saxon's words when he saw him. What he did remember was darkness as the world turned black around him. The next thing he knew he was tied to a chair in the Valiant, in the very same room he had last faced the Master, and opposite him sat the Master himself, staring intensely at him, waiting for him to wake up.

"Welcome back, Harry." He greeted almost as if they were old friends. "You have kept me waiting, thought you would break the drug down faster. Captain Jack does."

Those three last words made Harry's entire posture change as he stiffened, earning a laugh from the Master.

"Ah, you two." He chuckled, shaking his head condescendingly. "What do you see in him? He is a freak, but you... You are extraordinary. The things you can do."

"You don't know anything about me." Harry told him bluntly.

"But I do, I do. I do. You are not a fixed point in time and space like the freak, yet you literarily can't die. It's like you automatically regenerate when you reach the brink of death… almost like a Time Lord…except you keep your old form. And the way you travel… You make an opening in space that closes as you pass through. I mean, even I can't do that without some kind of device and I'm a Time Lord. It's almost as if…" He shook his head and Harry glared at him.

"What did you do to me?"

"Don't be like that, it's so ordinary and boring. It's only fair to let me do some tests. You did almost kill me once after all." The Master said flippantly before turning serious. "But despite every test we did… I'm still not sure what you are."

"I'm human." Harry said firmly.

"But what else?" Harry refused to speak. "What else?" Still nothing and the Master turned to one of the guards. "Bring in the freak and Martha Jones." Then he turned back to Harry. "I really was hoping we could have a nice chat. I have a nice clean execution planned for dear Martha later." Less than two minutes after that Martha and Jack were pushed through the doors under armed escort. Martha didn't look any different to how she had looked when he last seen her, Jack on the other hand… he was pale, there was dried blood everywhere and his shirt was full of holes and slashes. In addition he looked like he hadn't showered or cleaned himself up in months.

"How long has he been here?"

"Two months." The Master answered happily. "We have had so much fun." Harry didn't say anything after that, he and Jack only looked at each other. Jack was not supposed to be there, he was supposed to be safe with Ianto, Tosh and Owen. "Now, do you feel a little more cooperative? What are you?"

"A wizard."

"A wizard?" The Master laughed incredulously. "No, really."

"Really."

"There is no such thing a wizard. You can manipulate space, you regenerate, you can go into the mind and control it. If I didn't know better I would think you were one of us. But you are no Wizard."

"A human wizard." Harry clarified.

"Impossible. In the future not even one of them possessed the abilities you have. Not one. I would know."

"Then I have been lied to my whole life."

"Perhaps a chameleon arch…" The Time Lord thought out loud. Harry didn't comment, he didn't know what he was talking about but he did see Martha's eyes widen at the possibility.

"Take them away." The Master ordered soon after. "Him too and search him for a watch." He added pointing at Harry when they only moved to remove Jack and Martha from his presence.

The next time Harry was brought into the room was less than an hour later and he wasn't the only one. Along the walls he could see Jack, the Jones family minus Leo and Martha, he even saw the aged Doctor sitting in a wheelchair. The Master and his wife taking centre stage.

This time Martha didn't walk with a gun pointed to her head. This time the guards left her sides when she entered. She looked defeated and Harry wondered what they could have done to her in such a short time to break her so completely. Then, as she stood on her knees in front of the Master, as he spoke of his plans for his rockets and silos, Martha laughed and he wasn't the only one who noticed, the Master did too.

"What? What's so funny?" The Master asked, suddenly he sounded like sullen child.

"A gun?" Martha said incredulously.

"What about it?"

"A gun in four parts?" She continued, in amused amazement.

"Yes, and I destroyed it."

"A gun in four parts scattered across the world? I mean, come on. Did you _really_ believe that?"

"What do you mean?" He almost sounded worried.

"As if I would ask her to kill." The Doctor butted in.

"Oh, well, it doesn't matter. I've got her exactly where I want her." The Master shrugged.

"But I knew what Professor Docherty would do. The Resistance knew about her son. I told her about the gun, so she'd get us here. At the right time. Do you wanna know what we were doing? Travelling the world?" She asked.

"Tell me." The Master ordered, trying to sound as if he didn't care but all of them knew better.

"I told a story, that's all. No weapons, just words. I did just what the Doctor said. I went across the continents with harry. And everywhere we went, I found the people, and I told them my story. I told them about the Doctor. And I told them to pass it on, to spread the word so that everyone would know about the Doctor."

"Faith and hope?" The Master asked, amused. "Is that all?"

"No, 'cause I gave them an instruction. Just as the Doctor said" She continued, standing up. "I told them that if everyone thinks of one word, at one specific time-"

"Nothing will happen! Is that your weapon? Prayer?"

"Right across the world. One word, just one thought, at one moment… but with 15 satellites!"

"What?" He sounded genuinely worried now.

"The Archangel Network." Jack said as he finally understood what Martha and his lover had been doing for the past year.

"A telepathic field binding the whole human race together, with all of them, every single person on Earth, thinking the same thing at the same time. And that word…is Doctor." She said the word when there was less than a second left on the countdown, a wide grin on her lips. Finally.

"Stop it. No, no, no, no, you don't!" The Master yelled, staring fearfully at the Doctor as he begun to glow, returning him to his true form, "I've had a whole year to tune myself into the psychic network and integrate with its matrices." The Doctor continued Martha's tale. "The one thing you can't do. Stop them thinking."

The Master aimed his laser at the Doctor but the telepathic field that surrounded him easily deflected it. "Tell me the human race is degenerate now when they can do this."

After that Harry could honestly say he wasn't sure what happened, why words of forgiveness had such a profound effect on the Master or what exactly happened on Earth after the Master and the Doctor teleported out. What he did know was that Jack destroyed the Paradox Machine, reverting time back to the second the machine been activated, right after the president's assassination.

Then something happened that surprised him. Lucy Saxon, the Master's human wife, shot him, leaving a distraught Doctor behind when the Master chose death over imprisonment. The ladder choice surprised Harry more than the wife's actions, after spending 17 years of his life fighting one monster whose greatest desire was to escape death, this monster chose it.

It was odd leaving the Valiant on a airplane, he could only remember being in one five times in his life, first when he went to Bulgaria, then back, when he and Jack needed to go to the US in the 1970s, and the finally as he left the Valiant with Jack, the Jones, the Doctor and the Tardis, flying them straight back to Cardiff. After that Martha had gone with her family back to London while the Doctor stayed in Cardiff to repair and refuel his time and space ship after the abuse it had taken in the Master's care.

However it seemed the Master hadn't been the only Time Lord interested in Harry. While the Tardis in large fixed itself the Doctor spent a frighteningly large amount of time asking Harry questions and probing him. After a while Harry had even begun to like the man, despite his face. How could he dislike a man who trouble seemed to find more often than Harry himself, to be honest he had begun to wonder.

"Amazing you are, truly amazing. A human with Time Lord properties… never thought I'd see it. Are their Time Lords in your universe? Because if there isn't that would explain it. It would be the universe evening itself out…"

"I have never seen one. I don't even know if there are aliens there. And it's not Time Lord properties, it's magic. I am human being who can do magic. And as far as I know I'm the only 'regenerating' wizard there is and I wasn't born that way."

"Stick your hand in my pocket!" The Doctor suddenly said, jumping up to his feet to give him better access. "Go on. They are the same as yours, and I'm not magical. Still it's the same, but you call it magic and I call it science. The human body worked long before humans started figuring out how it worked. Said it was God's work or magic. But when they could explain it they started calling it biology, from the Greek 'bio' meaning life and the suffix '-logy', meaning 'science of'."

"Anyone knows how to flush a toilet, that doesn't mean they know how it works. But to build one you would have to know. And I can do more than just use spells others invented, I have created some of my own and I don't know how magic works but I was still able to do it."

"Do you think birds know why or how come they can fly when other creatures can't? They just do, and there isn't anything magical about that either. It's simple science."

"True. But muggles, non-magical people, can't do magic. They can't do the things we can even if they read the same books and learn the same things. It wouldn't work."

"That's because you have to have a mutation, or maybe even mutations, that allows you to do it. Your evolution is different. Just like the Time Lord mind can see time and space while the ordinary human can't. It's evolution, nothing magical about it. Same with you. Oh, and people say I am impossible, just wait until they meet you! Not even I know what you are. Human just isn't enough for you. Might have to name you something else." He grinned. "How about-"

"I'm human. Every test they have done on me will tell you the same."

"Not surprised, with modern human technology they wouldn't detect a thing. Just wait a couple of thousand years, you'll see."

"Not even the Master could find anything." Harry protested.

"Oh, he found something and he only had you for 3 hours. Either way, in this universe, you are an impossible thing. Just like Captain Jack."

**TBC**…

_First off, all this talk about Harry having mutations or whatever is just the Doctor and the Master trying to rationalize things according to how they see the universe and we all know the Doctor doesn't believe magic to be magic. To him it's just a different sort of science. Harry Potter is still Harry Potter, I promise (I mean there is nothing about Vampires and plasmavores that is the same except that they drink blood... I think. And a bird and a plane can both fly, that doesn't mean they work the same way...)! _

_Now, starting next chapter Harry will be back at Torchwood and tackling the alien and terrestrial threats of season 2. Oh! The potential, John Hart, Adam (maybe), Martha, the glove and more… I can't wait to start writing Torchwood episode again! As much as I love the Doctor I feel like I have more creative freedom when writing the Torchwood episodes. =) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed Harry's interactions with the Master and the Doctor!_


	19. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang I

_The reason the chapters changed, and that I am posting chapter 18 instead of 21, is that I reorganized the chapters ... instead of having the two HP/TW/DW crossover episodes divided into 2 and 3 chapters I made each episode into one chapter... I don't really know why... I just couldn't sleep and started to reorganize._

**Chapter EIGHTEEN**

Walking through the doors of Torchwood Harry and Jack were surprised to find it empty. It was odd, whether they were gone for an hour, a year or even 67 years Torchwood always looked the same when they got back, as if nothing had happened and no time had passed. Even odder was that in their case that was usually how it was.

Walking up the computer Jack quickly found their team's location, following the tracing device in the car. Putting the coordinates into his wrist strap he offered Harry a hand.

"I don't think so. I will appearate, how do you want to do it?"

"See you there?"

Harry arrived to the house a few seconds before Jack with a loud crack while Jack was spat out in a blue light.

"You seriously think that is more comfortable?" Harry asked disbelievingly as Jack cracked his neck.

"Oh yes." He said, pulling his gun out. "Let's go inside."

It didn't even take them ten seconds to find the others having a face-off with a fish-faced alien, that quite literally had a large fish for a head. Owen was hovering over a shooting victim, Tosh was reading the alien's vitals, a gun pointed at it and Ianto stood with a gun aimed at the alien, his hands' shaking slightly at the pressure as the alien taunted them with a human shield to protect itself. Without a second thought Jack shot, spraying the curtains behind it will alien brain matter as the shot went through its head.

Instead of rushing to Jack Tosh once again ran over to Harry throwing her arms around his neck, before she took a step back and actually slapped him. "We thought Saxon pulverized you like he did President Winters!" She said angrily. "We didn't know if you'd come back from that."

"Sorry."

"Where were you?" Ianto asked. "It's been four days, and we haven't been able to reach you since you let us. Not even when we got back to civilization."

"I was on the Valiant, after that I was with Jack and the Doctor."

"You found your Doctor? Both of you found him?" Tosh asked, looking back and forth between Jack and Harry.

"Did he fix you?" Owen asked Jack.

"What's to fix? You don't mess with this level of perfection." Jack joked, just as the shooting victim started convulsing.

"We need to get him to a hospital." Owen said, and almost instinctively both Harry and Jack spoke at the same time.

"Ianto, get the blowfish out. Tosh, call for an ambulance. Owen stay with him." When they finished both looked at each other in surprise.

"You were gone more than a month, someone needed to be in charge." Harry explained.

"A month?" He repeated surprised before giving a defeated, and slightly guilty, smile. "The doctor never was too good with getting the time right. Sorry."

They had barely returned to the hub before the computer registered some heavy rift activity on top an office building, sending them all running once again. The building itself was located less than 15 minutes from the hub by car, yet by the time they reached it there was already a man on the ground, dead.

"One of yours is it?" One of the police officers that had gotten there before them asked dryly.

"We'll let you know." Jack said, looking over the body. It was a relatively young male, human from the looks of it. Tosh immediately brought out her equipment and started looking over the man.

"Fragments of rift energy around the neck, arm and shoulders." She informed them.

"He was grabbed and pushed." Jack offered.

"So there is a killer on the loose. Maybe humanoid." Owned concluded.

"Any other alien tech?" Harry asked.

"No readings to suggest that." Tosh answered.

"Okay, let's get back and see what we can piece together." Jack told them.

Half-way to the car Jack's wrist strap suddenly started beeping, surprising all of them.

"That never beeps." Ianto voiced the thought all of them seemed to share.

"That's what I was thinking." Jack said, pressing a button, playing up a holographic message of a man in his later 30s, early 40s, and it spoke.

"I can't believe I got the answering machine. What could you be doing that is more important than me?" One glance at Jack told Harry more than most, he wasn't just surprised; he was worried. "Anyway, you probably traced the energy shift, found the body. All me, sorry about the mess. Bill me for the clean up. Now, drinks! Retral Ortic Transmission Corner, that's where I am. And hurry up, work to do. Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you are my only hope." And with that he was gone and so was Jack as he stole the SUV and drive off, ordering the others to stay away. But then again, Harry had never been one to follow orders and neither, it seemed, was the rest of the team. No more than five minutes after Jack they drove up in front of the bar, seeing the Torchwood SUV parked out front.

As they entered the bar they were greeted with two gunshots before they even seen either Jack or his murderous friend.

"Alright, everybody out!" The same voice as the hologram called out. Harry nodded at Ianto and guns at the ready they stepped through the door on their side while Owen and Tosh did the same using the backdoor.

"Everything alright, sir?" Ianto asked, as he saw the mess the bar was in, Harry on the other hand lowered his gun and sighed.

"Lower your guns everyone." Harry ordered.

"You've got a team!" The stranger laughed. "How sweet." Then his eyes fell on Tosh. "Oh! Pretty!" Then back at Jack. "No blonde though, you need a blonde. Do you have a team name? Love them."

"Torchwood."

"Oh." He looked surprised for a second. "Not Excalibur?" Apparently Torchwood was something of a myth where he came from. Jack just stared at him. "Torchwood." He accepted a second later. "Oh dear." He neither sounded impressed nor scared though.

"Harry Potter, Ianto Jones." Jack began to introduce. "Owen Harper and Toshisko Sato meet-" He looked unsure and the stranger decided to take it upon himself to continue.

"John Hart."

"We go back." Jack added, though he didn't look too pleased about it.

"Excuse me. We more than go back! We were partners."

"In what way?" Harry asked.

"In every way." Hart looked pleased, as someone who finally found a way o get back at there ex would. Or maybe he was just wanted to piss Harry off. Harry however only looked amused.

"He looks so old." Harry said instead, looking over at Jack with a look that clearly asked what he had seen in him. Jack smiled.

"I'm younger than him!" Hart proclaimed at the same time as Jack said.

"It was two weeks."

"Except the two weeks were trapped in a time-loop. We were together for 5 years." Hart felt the need to add, looking at Jack. "It was like having a wife."

"You were the wife." Jack told him, starting a 'you' 'no you' game between the two until John admitted defeat, grinning. "But I was a good wife."

"I bet you were." Tosh agreed, causing everyone to look at her in surprise. "Don't pretend you haven't noticed. "He is cute." Harry had to agree despite his previous statement.

"They are just shy." Hart told her.

"What are you doing here?" Jack interrupted before he could go further, grabbing the other man's attention.

"I was wondering when we'd get to that." He said, showing off his own wrist strap. A time-agent then, Harry concluded. But Harry wasn't the only one who had seen the similarities between Hart's and Jack's straps.

"It's the same as yours!" Tosh observed surprised.

"A little smaller." Jack defended and Hart looked amused.

"Oh, but it lasts much longer." He said, making Jack snort in amusement.

"Dear lord, now there is three of them." Ianto said, looking almost worried.

"Put two Time Agents together in a room and it's always about the size of the wrist strap." Hart said offhandedly, looking at the rest of the team.

"Yeah, sorry what's a Time Agent?" Owen asked, drawing Hart's attention.

"What? He never told you about his past?"

"No he hasn't." Tosh answered. "Not us anyway." She added looking over at Harry. Harry didn't say anything but Hart's attention was on him.

"What about you? Thought you looked a little young for 'Jack' but… Oh well…. Anyway," He said, activating the hologram on his wrist strap, showing them a small metal capsule. "I'm working with this woman, beautiful, clever, sexy yada yada yada… both get shot and as she is dying she begs me, she told me she had these radiation cluster bombs she'd been working on; the canisters, content beyond toxic, were swallowed up in a rift storm."

"And ended up here." Tosh guessed.

"Bingo. That's the downside of your city being built on a rift in space and time. Now, left to their own device the radiation will breakdown the canisters and then infect your people. They need to be neutralised." He explained and Jack didn't seem to, even for a second, believe Hart was doing this out of the goodness of his heart.

"And what do you get out of this?"

"Dying woman's wish?" He said, ignoring Jack's tone as he turned his attention to the others. "There is only one problem. I don't know where they are, am hoping local knowledge might help."

Tosh immediately started telling him how they could help locate them, afterwards Jack made Hart promise he would leave the city as soon as they'd helped him. Which Hart only seemed to take as a yes.

By the time they were all back at the hub, Jack having taken Hart down the 'scenic' lift rather than showing him the ordinary entrance, Harry heard more sexual entendras than he thought possible in an actual conversation. Hart even managed sneak one in as they were deweaponize him before letting him off the lift. Even Jack wasn't as bad.

"You can't seriously believe him." Harry told Jack as soon as they got a moment alone. "Has he said one true thing since he got here? Send him away."

"And what if he is telling the truth? Thousands of people would die, and you and I would be the only ones left standing. I'll keep an eye on him."

"No. If what he says is true and a rift storm is responsible then the canisters will be scattered so when we go in there." Harry continued motioning towards the conference room with his head where the rest were waiting. "we are going to divide into three groups, two for each canister and I will par up with him."

"I'll go with him." Jack disagreed. "I know him better."

"And that's why me and him will go together. He knows you too well; he won't let his guard down. I'm just a novice as far as he is concerned and I can play on his jealousy. He wants you, Jack, so we need make sure he knows you're mine." Harry said before quickly pulling Jack down for a deep kiss in clear view of the conference room for John Hart to see.

"Yours, am I?" Jack grinned against his lips.

"All mine." Harry said confidently before breaking contact with Jack and heading into the conference room.

When they entered Harry didn't miss the quick look Hart gave them before continuing his flirtation with Tosh, which seemed to annoy Owen a little. It seemed the good doctor was beginning to see what was in front of him at last, Tosh had already had to wait far too long for him to notice her.

"Tosh, what have you found?" Jack interrupted, looking half at her and half on the map on display behind her.

"We have three separate locations." She said, giving him her full attention.

"Six of us, three location. That's easy, two on each canister." Hart said, voicing Harry's previous plan.

"Excuse me, I give the orders." Jack said annoyed, Hart seemed neither offended nor amused just bored.

"Then give some big boy."

"He is right. Tosh and Owen can take the north one. You and Ianto go west and me and Hart will take the docks." Harry said after a quick glance at the map. When Jack looked like he was about to object Harry stopped him with one simple sentence. "Don't you trust me, Jack?"

"Fine, but first I want a word. Everyone else, out."

"Oh! Can I stay and watch this bit?" Hart asked as everyone else cleared the room. "He's gonna give you all the dos and don'ts. I love it."

"He'll be with you in a second, out." Jack said, all but glaring at Hart who reluctantly left the room.

"He is dangerous and we don't know what he is up to. Under no circumstances believe anything he says. Always keep him in front of you. And don't let him kiss you, ever." Harry raised an eyebrow at the last rule but upon seeing Jack's serious expression he nodded.

"Has it gone to the no kissing rule yet?" Hart yelled from outside the conference room. "He only invented that because he wants me all to himself." With one last look at Jack after that Harry left.

When he reached Hart he smirked a little and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "You've got it wrong. It's me he wants all to himself." And with that he started to walk away. "Come on, hurry up."

**TBC…**

_Hope you like it, I will do my best to give you the next chapter in the next two or three days. And if you have any preferences on which episodes I should use from season 2 let me know and I will take an extra look at those episodes and see if I can fit them in and if they would do something for the story plot. =)_


	20. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang II

**Chapter NINETEEN**

Before they could reach the lift Harry stopped and looked at Hart expectantly, making him look behind himself for a reason.

"What?"

"Well, you have the coordinates and Torchwood only got two SUVs."

"So we use your car." Hart said somewhat confused.

"Don't have one. I was thinking more along the line of that wrist strap you have on your arm." Hart raised his eyebrows. "Teleport us."

"How do you know about that? Human teleportation won't be perfected until the 37th century…"

"Jack can be a little impatient." Harry said, it wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the answer either.

"So because he wanted to get it on he teleported you?"

"I'm that good." Harry replied easily.

"You're lying." He didn't sound convinced.

"Maybe, now do you want to go and get that capsule?"

Hart's teleportation device wasn't any better than Jack's, Harry didn't really know why he had convinced him to use the teleport… they could have asked to borrow one of the others' car. Regardless, it got them to the docks faster than a car ride would have. Never the less after an hour at the docks with no success in finding the capsule or to get Hart to start opening up about himself Harry was getting tired and tried a more direct approach.

"The woman, the one you claim to be doing this for, who was she?"

"Claim?" Hart echoed with mock offence. "You're as bad as 'Jack', doesn't trust a thing I do."

"You're a habitual liar. I never dealt with one of you before but I think there is one rule I have to remember and I'll be safe; not to trust a thing coming out of your mouth."

"Then why ask questions?"

"Every good liar knows that the best lie is rooted in some kind of truth. I believe there is a woman, I believe you might have been lovers, I also believe she sent something here using a rift storm, but I don't believe that you'd come all this way to fulfil her last request. This is about something else and I want to know what."

"Beauty and brains." Hart said, giving Harry another once over. "I'm beginning to see what he sees in you. But just so you know, he is not going to stay. Him and I shared something."

"Maybe you did, maybe you didn't. But Jack isn't going to leave me, because I can give him something no other being in this universe can."

"What? Love?" Hart asked sarcastically as he continued searching the containers.

"No, I'm the only one who will be here as long as he will. I won't leave him behind and he won't leave me. We might not always be lovers, but I will always be very, very, important to him."

"Yeah, well, maybe that won't always be the case." Hart easily dismissed. "Listen to me, kid, he won't ever stick around forever. Find someone else."

"Are you going to tell me what you are really looking for or not?"

"Does it matter? You've already found it for me anyway." He said, opening another container. "Aha!" Yelled out as he walked inside and picked the small capsule up from the container floor. "One down." He declared, pressing his lips against Harry's before Harry even had a chance to react.

"What did you do to me?" Harry demanded as he pushed the time traveller off of him. Hart only laughed.

"That was a kiss, if you don't even know that I wonder what 'Jack' is doing to you."

"Why?" Harry all but hissed, "There has to be a reason Jack told me not to let you kiss me. It's already done, so tell me why."

"Paralysing lip-gloss." Hart said cheerily. "You have about two hours before your inner organs are going to start shutting down, and any second now you'll loose your ability to move. It will give you just enough time to consider the choices you made in life." As the last word left his lips Harry felt his legs give out and he fell to the floor, unable to move. "And you're right, he does feel something for you, and the others. But without you here to hold him back there won't be anything keeping him here."

Then he was gone, leaving Harry alone on the floor feeling completely powerless. It was the astronomy tower all over again, as he stood frozen while Dumbledore sacrificed himself. People say your life flashes before your eyes the second before you die, this was the first time Harry felt it might be true. Little over two hours later he heard Ianto and the others' voices from the other side of the door, they were looking for him. But there was nothing he could do, instead he laid there on the brink of death and the only thing he could do was remember, worry and think.

They were still there as Harry felt himself take what should have been his last breath if he hadn't been the Master of Death; instead it was the breath that returned his ability to move.

To keep up appearances soon after Harry started banging against the door, letting the others' know he was there, instead of drawing his wand. When Ianto threw the doors open Harry hissed in anger; Tosh, she had been shot.

"What were you thinking bringing her here? She should be in a hospital!"

"We needed to find you!" Owen all but yelled back defensively from his spot next to Tosh.

"I can't die, she can!" Harry disagreed.

"I'm fine, Harry." Tosh assured him. "But now we need to get to the hub and stop Captain John. Owen can fix me up better there. Don't worry."

"Where is Jack?" Harry asked when they sat down in the SUV. Strangely enough he hadn't noticed his absence until that moment.

"With Hart." Ianto answered, his eyes on the road, refusing to look at Harry as he spoke. "If I didn't leave him the others' would have died."

Driving to the Hub they caught sight of Jack walking towards the harbour entrance, a rarity in itself. On closer inspection Harry noticed something missing, at first he couldn't place what or where, but Jack caught his expression and showed his left wrist, no strap.

"Hart?" Harry guessed, receiving only a nod and a dry smile in confirmation.

When they got inside the hub they found Hart standing next to the blowfish-alien's body, leaning over one of the tables clearly having. Swearing as he saw them enter, Jack lagging behind. Mostly for effect, Harry was sure. After all it wasn't everyday Hart would get to see someone he pushed him off a 8 story building get up and start walking without a scratch. At least not human.

"Pretty and resilient." Hart commented more to himself than them, his eyes moving from one member to the other, their guns ready and aimed. "Is that even fair?"

"You can beat, shoot, threaten and even poison us, but we will always come back stronger than ever." Owen proclaimed.

"Your move." Harry said.

"Well, I think you oughta know your boss is splayed out on the pavement." He informed them with a hint of condescension, and Jack took that as his cue and walked into Hart's line of vision. The expression that graced Hart's face after that was one of pure disbelief. He tried to play it off, but it was a weak attempt and his nervousness was showing. "Now, that's impressive. Seriously, you could make a fortune in the Vegas galaxies with an act like that. Go on, how does it work?"

"I can't die." Jack said with a smile.

"No, but really."

"No but really, you can't kill me. No matter how many times you try. I can't die. Ever." He added, walking towards his former partner.

"How much does that cost you? Every time you have to drag yourself back here? How does it feel? All that pain and trauma, plus you are reborn into this godforsaken mess. I pity you."

Jack laughed with a cold amusement. "These people, this planet, all the beauty you can never see, what's what I come back for."

"Well, goody on you." Hart dryly, it seemed Jack had finally pushed him over the edge and the shock of seeing him alive had subsided, instead anger and annoyance shone trough Hart's eyes as he spoke.

"Wanna tell us what's in the capsules now?" Harry asked from behind them, he really didn't need to see any more of this.

"Alright." Hart agreed glancing over at Harry briefly before looking back at Jack. The story that followed was vastly different from the love story had originally told, yet a few key element remained the same. The woman he had 'loved' had merely been a lover. The capsules contained the location of a jewel, a Cascadian diamond to be exact, rather than a danger to human kind and the woman had been dying as a result of him, he had killed her. None of this surprised Harry in the least, what however did surprise him was the events that followed Jack's go ahead to ensemble the device the woman had sent out in the rift storm.

There was no diamond or anything else of value, instead a small explosive device assembled itself and attached itself to Hart's chest, latching on to his DNA. That was something Harry could not have predicted in a million years, much less Hart's decision to suddenly shackle himself to Harry in an attempt to force the team to find away to defuse the bomb after Jack had refused his first 'plea' for help. Anyone else would be panicking as they saw the timer of the bomb ticking away, not Harry though. With 8 minutes 52 seconds left he calmly turned to Tosh.

"Tosh, this explosion is going to be big. Any rift activity in the next few minutes?" Before Tosh even got a chance to respond Jack spoke.

"No way." While Hart was looking back and forth between Tosh, Jack and Harry. "What the bloody hell is going on here?"

"If we are in the rift when the bomb explodes the city will be safe." Harry said.

"You don't know where you'll end up!" Jack disagreed. "You might not even survive!"

"Of course he bloody won't survive!" Hart agreed annoyed, glaring at Harry. "How the hell does this save us?"

"It doesn't." Harry said almost flippantly just as Tosh informed them that there was residual rift energy where Hart had stepped through time the evening before and before anyone had a chance to react Harry was out the door.

With Tosh and Ianto in the back, trying to find a way to block the frequency of the bomb Harry drove them towards the parking lot they had been called to less than 24 hours earlier to investigate a murder and rift activity. There was nothing they could do.

With less than two minutes to spare they reached the spot and Harry couldn't help but find something about the rift both comforting and familiar. It was strange; he never pegged himself for having a death wish even if many in the wizarding world would claim differently. But maybe he was.

For a second Harry contemplated staying until last moment, hoping to get a chance to say good-bye to Jack before he jumped into the rift. But then again there wasn't really any point in doing that, death wouldn't have him no matter what so Harry was sure that one way or another he would meet Jack again. Turning to face a teary-eyed Tosh and a strangely neutral Ianto Harry smiled.

"Thanks for everything and tell Jack I will find him no matter what. Okay?" He stepped towards the rift, dragging a resisting Hart with him, then he turned around and looked at Ianto. "Don't let Lisa stop you form living your life, if she is worth even an ounce of what you feel for her she would want you to be happy." And with that he ran into the rift, not even glancing back as he heard a car pull up behind them and Jack calling out for him.

The next thing Harry knew was a pain, worse than the curciatus curse, worse than walking though the veil, worse than anything he had ever imagined and then it all went dark. His last conscious thought was that maybe, just maybe, death had decided to claim him after all.

**THE END**

Well for now anyway…. I have a sequel in mind though it will be a Harry/Doctor Who crossover, not Harry/Torchwood. And then there will be some answers about Sirius and all that too =) But I don't know when it will be up, school and job hunting is taking up most of my time right now…. Sorry.


	21. Epilogue

_AN: After many demands for a sequel or an epilogue I have given in to the latter, since the sequel didn't work out when I tried it. Hope you like it and aren't too disappointed!_

**Epilogue**

Almost two millennia had passed since he had last seen them, since he had willingly gone into the rift and woken up in ancient Rome. He had thought about them now and again over the centuries, especially in the beginning and the last few decades, they were the only ones he knew he would see again. He had even sworn he would reunite with them on this very evening. But as he watched from street below he couldn't do it. That life was the past, too long had passed for him to go back to Jack, or Torchwood. He knew too much about them now for that ever to be the same. Jack tried, he really did, but Torchwood was Torchwood. They were hardly the good guys Jack had made him think they were all those years ago. He couldn't go back and pretend he didn't know, that he was the same. He wasn't.

Perhaps he would seek Jack out in a few decades, when some time had passed and when Jack wouldn't expect him to be the same boy he had been when he had jumped into the rift with Hart. What he would however do was go to the hub and take his wand before the others noticed it where he had left it. Two millennia without it had been too long. The first centuries without magic, forced to live one life after the other, being everything from slave to nobleman, to husband, to pirate… always knowing he had the power to do things, to change things, but no access to that means had been worse than anything else he had experienced in his long life, in his different worlds. But he had adapted, as would they adapt to life without him. He hadn't been with them long, not even Jack.

Jack would continue his life, as would Ianto, Owen, and Tosh. And so would he, he had a degree to finish, a daughter to care for, her grandson to watch over, and yet another life to live. And one day that life, or perhaps another one further down the line, would reunite him with Jack. They may not be lovers again, but they would see each other. After all, they had eternity, and right now Jack needed to mourn the man Harry had been, before he could meet the man he had become. And until that day all he could do was wish him luck.

**THE END**

_AN2: Sirius never entered this world! I told you all that unless you were immortal you wouldn't survive passing through the rift, the souls keeping it open would destroy you and force you to join them! That's why Harry never found any hints of him._


End file.
